Hi friends!
How are you doing? Here we are, back at Friday again.
This week has been (slightly) quieter (sort of). I mean, comparatively.
*Remembers historic impeachment that happened this week*
Eh, okay. Maybe not. 😝
I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted. My nail polish is chipped, my body is tired, and my brain is checked out. Not from lack of sleep, but just from LIFE. The mental gymnastics of it all. It feels like simply being alive is no longer a relatively simple task. Instead, the day to day requires so much thought. So much prep. So much weighing and deliberating and considering and crossing your fingers.
It’s a lot. The LOT-est of lot.
You know?
If you’re truly doing this pandemic * right * (and of course, “right” can be seen as subjective— and depends somewhat on privilege, etc.), then life has involved a lot of sacrifice and decision-making. A lot of figuring out the best of two not so great options, and hoping for the best. Putting a whole heck of a lot of thought into what were once seemingly simple and small tasks and parts of your routine. It’s draining.
10 MONTHS OF THAT.
This week, I felt like I hit a wall. I was tired of being stuck at my house (safer at home, I know, I know, but STILL). Tired of having to worry constantly, and be so careful. Tired of constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. And, tired of seeing other people’s excuses and inability to put their communities ahead of their own interests. It’s the seeing flagrant acts of inconsideration and selfishness for me. 🙄
That’s the straw that broke the camel’s back over here.
And hell, even if you’re not doing the “right” thing, the never-ending news sure doesn’t feel great! It’s enough to make the coolest cucumber a nervous wreck in anticipation of the weeks to come.
Maybe I’m making a big assumption, but I’m betting you feel this way too.
It takes a toll. How could we all not be exhausted?
Here is the part where I wish I had some magical solution or crystal ball. The part where maybe in your head, you’re saying, “Okay, soooo, what now?”
Well, yeah! What the heck now, friends? I’m wondering too, but here’s what I think.
In terms of the pandemic, and just overall life, we keep doing our best. Doing what we know to be the right thing to keep ourselves and our loved ones and our neighbors safe, despite how hard or isolating it may feel. We 👏 keep 👏 going.👏 But, I also think it’s time to remind ourselves (again, perhaps) that we are not alone. If you’re feeling like this {gestures broadly} is hard as hell, then there’s probably someone else you know (a friend, your spouse, ME), who agrees, and can empathize. I’ve heard this mantra a few times in the last year and I think it rings true: we may not all be in the same exact boat, but we’re in the same storm.
And, together we can continue to search for ways to stay hopeful, and listen to what is feeling heavy for each other, in the hopes that this (community! friendship!) is the answer to making it all feel just a teensy bit more bearable.
One of my best friends texted me the photo above (hi Val!) and said, “Even when you can’t see it, the blue sky is always there.”
(Val’s very wise, yes?)
Say it with me:
We are not alone.
You are not alone.
Things are going to get better.
They may feel scary right now (hello, COVID numbers here in LA, yikes), but as my mom would say, this too shall pass. Hope can still grow, even here. I know I say this a lot, but I really do believe it. It’s easy for fear to shout into our ears and make the world feel like an overwhelming place, but I’m confident that there’s enough of the good people out there — the helpers and the altruistic leaders and democracy defenders —to bring that blue sky back out.
Have a great weekend, and if you get a second, tell me in the comments one small joy you’ve found this week. We can do this!
Sending you love,
Joelle
One small joy: I watched the movie Soul on Disney plus. It was a really good reminder to try to enjoy every day and appreciate the small moments in life that make life worth living. It can be easy to lose sight of that right now, with everything going on. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll remember them calling out sky watching as a great activity. So I’m going to try more sky watching too...basically I’m going to try to appreciate the beautiful moments around me and to not freak out about when my relatives will get a vaccination appointment, or over any number of the other things I’m concerned about in the world today. It might be easier said than done, but I’m going to try!