I read this sad post five days ago, and it's still haunting me. I believe we'll be feeling the blowback from the actions of this reckless regime for years. I try to do something everyday, a phone call, an email, a few dollars. I know my efforts alone will not make a dent in this monumental disruption in our lives, our country, our families, our psyches, but if enough of us do something, even small things maybe we can have an impact. The magnitude of the destruction is so daunting that paralysis is a natural reaction, but I've been handwringing for months. Now I'm trying to do something--though I still wring my hands at the absurdity of it all.
Jeannine, you're a force of nature. You're my go to person when I'm seeking inspiration. I am sorry your family must endure this chaotic uncertainty.
thank you for this work you do. especially amidst all the turmoil and worry you and others are facing. a delight for me right now is the epic snow we had here Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. 32 cms in Ottawa or over a foot of snow. i wish i could post a photo here of the view of the street from our 19th floor apartment: everything covered over in white, very few cars moving along Bronson Avenue at 8 am when the road is usually clogged with commuters. this is the first heavy snowfall we've had since 2022. my husband and i walked out in it in the afternoon, climbing over snowbanks and stopping to let fellow walkers through as we all negotated narrow snow piled sidewalks together. we were all smiling and enjoying the wonder of it all. we went into our favourite café, drank Americanos and shared a delicious peppermint Nanaimo bar as we chatted with a server who was happy the café was only open 3 hours so he could have a shorter shift. sending you love and hugs from Canada
My husband is alive today after battling pancreatic cancer for the past year and a half due in no small part to research and studies and clinical trials. When this type of government action affects you so personally it’s really a very helpless and small feeling you get. But I have to believe we will get through this together. I have to have hope.
The cavalcade of chaos being perpetrated by the Trump administration has been destructive and heart-wrenching. I’m so very sorry you and Jon are impacted. The uncertainty of this time is excruciating. Destabilizing.
I want to thank you for not withdrawing, for not unplugging, for not curling up in a ball even though there’s likely an hour that does not pass without you wanting to do so. Thank you for not shrinking, for not isolating, for not letting fear win. Thank you for urging us not to succumb to despair and instead resist by “… take uncertainty and give it shape. And when we create with others, when our individual energies meet, something even greater ignites: it really is a fire against the dark.”
I see you Jeannine. I am with you. And I agree with you. We will make beautiful things through our collective creativity. We will endure.
May this community you have created here at WITD sustain and hold you during this unprecedented time. At a time when it seems there just aren't words to describe our incredulity you can still find them and, in doing so, guide each of us back to our own voice and heart.
It is so sustaining, Donna. I am grateful to my past self for making the leap to launch this community. And grateful to all of you for accepting the invitation. So much love.
I am trying every day to stay present and not shut down in the face of such cruelty and destruction. Stories of real people help me do that. Yours makes me cry, and I’m grateful to feel.
You are so lovely and wise, Peg. I somehow stumbled on a reel you posted somewhere about somatic healing (I don't think you called it that but that's what it sounded like to me) and your voice is so gentle and reassuring. Thank you.
Jeannine, I so appreciate your move towards connection in the face of this hostility towards your and your husband's important work and livelihoods! I like learning more about that part of your life and I'm so sorry for the uncertainty you are facing, and with Billie, too. I have a trans daughter who fled from Tennessee to California for college and is now seriously considering changing her plans to go to law school in favor of finding a path out of the country to "somewhere safer." I support her fully and am so frustrated and sad that her life goals are being so impacted by her concern for her safety (and leading her farther and farther away from me.) My hope is that this darkness will impel all of us towards more sturdy connections as we work together to survive these threats. I'm calling my reps, my husband is calling, we want to be counted in the resistance. Much love to you and your family. I'm grateful for your voice and the love you share here.
Oh no I am so sorry about your daughter, and about her having to feel unsafe anywhere, ever. It's so awful. We are calling too. We are here, we are together.
I see you, and I hear you, and the voices of so many others. I live in Switzerland, near Geneva, where so many jobs are also impacted by this administration as the UN has many of its agencies here. It feels as though a dark, thick lid has been put on the world. So we create, we invent things, we create to lift each other up. Like you, my instinct is always to retreat, to curl up in a ball under the duvet and hide. Everything is exhausting and i feel unable to switch off. I write, and then I often collapse into bed for a few hours every afternoon (autoimmune diseases, not the orange man!), completely drained. I am about to publish a poetry book, having discovered poetry only last year! I had never been interested in poetry before. I was in a very dark place because of my illness, and writing (and medication) helped me emerge, reconnect with my creativity, and discover a new passion. I have written over 340 poems over the last year! This community has been so encouraging. Love gets us through. I am sending you armfuls. Francesca xx
Oh, Jeannine. I'm back here in Minnesota, navigating my brother's illnesses while he's in a facility in Detroit Lakes and I'm staying in Menahga. A chilly snow-swirly drive each day, but I think about these issues on the trip there. How our lives will be affected by this insanity in ways we can't yet imagine—and we've already seen more than enough! My sister was a staff instructor at UM hospitals who wrote and received lots of grants for Wadena County when she moved back "home" and headed up the county health programs. Such important work. I'm so glad to know someone like you is there, doing those things that matter most, while the mad men create chaos intended to collapse our containers created to ensure compassion. They show no hint of any human goodness.
Oh that is so interesting about your sister. Six degrees of separation. I am glad for every single person here. We are here, we are together, as Imola said. xo
Jeannine, I totally understand your will to unplug and hide. It's a very normal human reaction, and sometimes necessary. We need to unplug, to replug with force! Martha Beck said that creativity is the antidote to anxiety. I truly believe that. And as you said, being creative together amplifies this power. Beyond that, we do all that we can to remain decent, humane and compassionate. It may seem a small thing, but imagine if everybody did that. Just a tiny bit more. We can make this shift in the world. We are more powerful than we think. Sending love from the 51st state, Canada ;)
My heart goes out to you, your family, and all those directly affected by the madness we are living in. Unplugging, curling into the fetal position, and disappearing are also my go-to responses. Stay strong, we are here, together, and we will continue to create and make art because art is the ultimate act of resistance.
I will call my reps for you all. I will show up to protests when I can for you all. I will teach critical thinking and media literacy and economic literacy for you all. I will write for you all. I will support the most marginalized to the best of my abilities. I’ll do all I can. Solidarity.
I read this sad post five days ago, and it's still haunting me. I believe we'll be feeling the blowback from the actions of this reckless regime for years. I try to do something everyday, a phone call, an email, a few dollars. I know my efforts alone will not make a dent in this monumental disruption in our lives, our country, our families, our psyches, but if enough of us do something, even small things maybe we can have an impact. The magnitude of the destruction is so daunting that paralysis is a natural reaction, but I've been handwringing for months. Now I'm trying to do something--though I still wring my hands at the absurdity of it all.
Jeannine, you're a force of nature. You're my go to person when I'm seeking inspiration. I am sorry your family must endure this chaotic uncertainty.
thank you for this work you do. especially amidst all the turmoil and worry you and others are facing. a delight for me right now is the epic snow we had here Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. 32 cms in Ottawa or over a foot of snow. i wish i could post a photo here of the view of the street from our 19th floor apartment: everything covered over in white, very few cars moving along Bronson Avenue at 8 am when the road is usually clogged with commuters. this is the first heavy snowfall we've had since 2022. my husband and i walked out in it in the afternoon, climbing over snowbanks and stopping to let fellow walkers through as we all negotated narrow snow piled sidewalks together. we were all smiling and enjoying the wonder of it all. we went into our favourite café, drank Americanos and shared a delicious peppermint Nanaimo bar as we chatted with a server who was happy the café was only open 3 hours so he could have a shorter shift. sending you love and hugs from Canada
"So, here I am, choosing to create. Because to create is to resist the pull of despair."
Exactly.
My husband is alive today after battling pancreatic cancer for the past year and a half due in no small part to research and studies and clinical trials. When this type of government action affects you so personally it’s really a very helpless and small feeling you get. But I have to believe we will get through this together. I have to have hope.
Weeping and raging. I'm truly without words. I will find my way back. I don't know when or how.
I know. It's unbelievable. I still can't actually believe it.
The cavalcade of chaos being perpetrated by the Trump administration has been destructive and heart-wrenching. I’m so very sorry you and Jon are impacted. The uncertainty of this time is excruciating. Destabilizing.
I want to thank you for not withdrawing, for not unplugging, for not curling up in a ball even though there’s likely an hour that does not pass without you wanting to do so. Thank you for not shrinking, for not isolating, for not letting fear win. Thank you for urging us not to succumb to despair and instead resist by “… take uncertainty and give it shape. And when we create with others, when our individual energies meet, something even greater ignites: it really is a fire against the dark.”
I see you Jeannine. I am with you. And I agree with you. We will make beautiful things through our collective creativity. We will endure.
Lisa, your voice here is a beacon. I see you, I am with you, and I am grateful for you.
“Fill the silence with the sound of making” - gosh that is a gorgeous song.
Thank you my very dear friend. I like that phrase too.
May this community you have created here at WITD sustain and hold you during this unprecedented time. At a time when it seems there just aren't words to describe our incredulity you can still find them and, in doing so, guide each of us back to our own voice and heart.
It is so sustaining, Donna. I am grateful to my past self for making the leap to launch this community. And grateful to all of you for accepting the invitation. So much love.
I am trying every day to stay present and not shut down in the face of such cruelty and destruction. Stories of real people help me do that. Yours makes me cry, and I’m grateful to feel.
You are so lovely and wise, Peg. I somehow stumbled on a reel you posted somewhere about somatic healing (I don't think you called it that but that's what it sounded like to me) and your voice is so gentle and reassuring. Thank you.
🥰 thank you, Jeannine!
Jeannine, I so appreciate your move towards connection in the face of this hostility towards your and your husband's important work and livelihoods! I like learning more about that part of your life and I'm so sorry for the uncertainty you are facing, and with Billie, too. I have a trans daughter who fled from Tennessee to California for college and is now seriously considering changing her plans to go to law school in favor of finding a path out of the country to "somewhere safer." I support her fully and am so frustrated and sad that her life goals are being so impacted by her concern for her safety (and leading her farther and farther away from me.) My hope is that this darkness will impel all of us towards more sturdy connections as we work together to survive these threats. I'm calling my reps, my husband is calling, we want to be counted in the resistance. Much love to you and your family. I'm grateful for your voice and the love you share here.
Oh no I am so sorry about your daughter, and about her having to feel unsafe anywhere, ever. It's so awful. We are calling too. We are here, we are together.
From across the oceans I see you.
I hold you in my thoughts.
I send positive creative energy, and admire the different ways people are “stepping up to the plate” of resistance.
From such a distance the carnage that is happening to democracy and decency seems like an illusion. But I know it’s not.
🤗❤️🙏🏼🌟🕯️
Thank you so much, Sarah. Love to you.
I see you, and I hear you, and the voices of so many others. I live in Switzerland, near Geneva, where so many jobs are also impacted by this administration as the UN has many of its agencies here. It feels as though a dark, thick lid has been put on the world. So we create, we invent things, we create to lift each other up. Like you, my instinct is always to retreat, to curl up in a ball under the duvet and hide. Everything is exhausting and i feel unable to switch off. I write, and then I often collapse into bed for a few hours every afternoon (autoimmune diseases, not the orange man!), completely drained. I am about to publish a poetry book, having discovered poetry only last year! I had never been interested in poetry before. I was in a very dark place because of my illness, and writing (and medication) helped me emerge, reconnect with my creativity, and discover a new passion. I have written over 340 poems over the last year! This community has been so encouraging. Love gets us through. I am sending you armfuls. Francesca xx
Ugh that is so depressing about the UN. I am sorry about your suffering as well. So much love to you, Francesca.
Thank you, that’s so kind of you 🙏🪶❤️
Oh, Jeannine. I'm back here in Minnesota, navigating my brother's illnesses while he's in a facility in Detroit Lakes and I'm staying in Menahga. A chilly snow-swirly drive each day, but I think about these issues on the trip there. How our lives will be affected by this insanity in ways we can't yet imagine—and we've already seen more than enough! My sister was a staff instructor at UM hospitals who wrote and received lots of grants for Wadena County when she moved back "home" and headed up the county health programs. Such important work. I'm so glad to know someone like you is there, doing those things that matter most, while the mad men create chaos intended to collapse our containers created to ensure compassion. They show no hint of any human goodness.
Oh that is so interesting about your sister. Six degrees of separation. I am glad for every single person here. We are here, we are together, as Imola said. xo
Jeannine, I totally understand your will to unplug and hide. It's a very normal human reaction, and sometimes necessary. We need to unplug, to replug with force! Martha Beck said that creativity is the antidote to anxiety. I truly believe that. And as you said, being creative together amplifies this power. Beyond that, we do all that we can to remain decent, humane and compassionate. It may seem a small thing, but imagine if everybody did that. Just a tiny bit more. We can make this shift in the world. We are more powerful than we think. Sending love from the 51st state, Canada ;)
We can, we really can. And we love you, Canada!!
My heart goes out to you, your family, and all those directly affected by the madness we are living in. Unplugging, curling into the fetal position, and disappearing are also my go-to responses. Stay strong, we are here, together, and we will continue to create and make art because art is the ultimate act of resistance.
We are here, we are together, and we will continue!!
I will call my reps for you all. I will show up to protests when I can for you all. I will teach critical thinking and media literacy and economic literacy for you all. I will write for you all. I will support the most marginalized to the best of my abilities. I’ll do all I can. Solidarity.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, and same.
This makes sense! So logical...