Something I’ve Been Thinking About Recently:
TW // mass shootings, racial reckoning, general trauma of the past year
Amidst all of the mass shootings, all of the trauma, all of the social and racial reckonings, all of the darkness that has taken hold of our society over the past year, today it really hit me: these are UNPRECEDENTED times. I mean, I know we all KNOW this on a practical level, but how many of us have truly internalized it? How many of us have truly sat with the reality of the current state of the world and digested it? We are, quite possibly, living through one of the most challenging times in the whole of human history.
I reiterate all of this not to be a downer, but to try and provide a small sliver of hope: you are a SURVIVOR. You have made it through (and continue to make it through, each and every day) circumstances that would’ve been unthinkable a few years ago, circumstances that generations of people never even had to consider, much less navigate through. You are strong and competent and capable, and when this is all said and done, you’ll be even stronger and more brilliant than you would’ve ever believed yourself to be.
I know it’s difficult. I know it can feel like everything around you is falling apart–both outwardly and inwardly. Believe me, I understand. I’ve been to some very dark places during this pandemic, places I was certain I’d never have to confront again. Monsters I’d pushed so far deep into myself, only to watch them reemerge with a vengeance. I get it.
But please, keep going. Keep pushing. Keep holding on. There are pinwheels of light beginning to dot the edges of this tunnel we’ve all been shambling through aimlessly. If you’ve made it this far, it’s for a reason. Your life is full of so much purpose. The world we’re about to re-enter is ours. It belongs to us, those of us who have pushed and fought and bled and cried and persevered, and we can make it into anything we so choose. We get to make the rules, now. We set the new precedents.
Pursue that idea. Write that book. Move to that new place. Take that class. Tell that person you love them. Make that album. Draw The Thing! Don’t hold back! Your passions, creativity, and ideas are so, so valid. They’re needed. If not now, then when? If not you, then who else? We can do anything we want now, because we’ve all been handed a fresh start. We have the opportunity to design the world as we see fit, as it’s always meant to be. Don’t run from your calling. Embrace it. We need you. Please don’t give up.
Always remember: this is not an end. It’s a beginning.
Sending you lots of love, from where I am to wherever you may be ❤️🌻
