2020
In 2020 we laughed. We laughed a lot. We laughed, mostly because we couldn’t think of what else to do.
We laughed because at some point the pain became too great. We laughed because it felt hard to go on.
But underneath we were scared. We were scared of the many years of hatred come to roost in our house, in what was supposed to be the people’s house. We were scared of the fires that burned in our backyards and we were scared of the great sickness.
But most frightening of all, we grew scared of one another, in a deeper way, in a way that grabbed you by the stomach and refused to let go.
And so we worked at it. We tried kindness and loving our neighbors in new ways. We tried more meditation and exercise. We learned new skills. We developed our techie selves. We tried outrage and submission.
But we suffered.
We continue to suffer.
Can we let this suffering grow us?