Keep at it

Feeling rather defeated the past couple of days – that shouting into the wind feeling, and wondering why I bother when so many seem not to care that many of those we choose to elect, hoping they will be wise leaders turn out to be selfish, greedy, and cruel. Then to hear many of these same “leaders” turn their anger, why they are so angry I can’t completely comprehend, on us, well not all of us, but many of us who they seem to believe are somehow deserving of their hatred and their finger-pointing, seeming to want to make us the enemy. Us being the marginalized – the poor, the elderly, women, people of color, LGBT folks, the disabled, anyone who they think is not like them. Hoping I suppose to whip up the fear and anger of the populace, those who are susceptible to that kind of fear-mongering, those who are rightfully afraid because there is much work to do, hard work, but happy to believe the tricksters who promise to take care of it all for them, to wave their magic wands and make it all better. It’s their fault!

Then having people (some of those people even being me) tell me that I’m silly to try to effect change, that there’s no point, the problems are too vast, and why can’t you see that, are you that naïve?

And so I did what I do at times like these, I look for people to admire, because who do I want to emulate – the armchair cynics, or the people who, as Theodore Roosevelt wrote in his “Man in the Arena” speech, may fail, but even when they fail, do so while “daring greatly.” So thank you Diana Nyad, who on the day before her 63^rd birthday, had to abort her fourth attempt to swim through the shark and jellyfish infested waters between Cuba and Miami. Even after her team pulled her from the water, she wanted to go back in. I don’t care that she didn’t make it, she just keeps trying. I think of my friends who are teachers, parents, immigration attorneys, pastors, anyone who has a calling and then shows up every day to little fanfare, just the work. I think of the leaders out there who have been at this stuff way longer than I have, those fighting the good fight.

I’ll be back at it, because what else am I supposed to do, I did make a promise after all. And I can’t complain too much, I have it pretty darn good compared to many in the world who would find my little pity party a luxury they could little afford.

One favor I would ask – take a moment or two out of your day today and send me a little prayer, or good thought if you’re not inclined to prayer, then extend that blessing out to anyone in need. Include yourself too; we all are in need in one way or the other. It can’t hurt.

Love you all!