If you need a hug—or some light today

This isn’t the blog I intended to write.

I’ll skip any analysis of the world or elections and instead offer you my hand—and a hug if you need it.

If you’re feeling confused, angry, shocked, withdrawn, or numb, I get it. Here’s a hug.

If you’re feeling joy or awe, I understand that, too. Beauty is still with us, and there are opportunities for wonder every day. You get a hug, too.

The light in a dark landscape—reflections on the last months

In these last stressful months, I’ve noticed moments of awakening. Sometimes small lights shine brighter against a dark backdrop. Here’s what I’ve observed:

• People supported each other. In the period leading up to the election, I saw so many in my communities reaching out, acknowledging our shared anxiety, and sending love.
  
• Many of us woke up to the seriousness of this election, like never before. We reflected on the fragility of democracy, realizing it’s not something to take for granted. I hope we never do.
  
• We looked beyond our immediate surroundings to the state of the world. Even if Ukraine, Gaza, and environmental crises weren’t always central to the election conversations, they weighed heavily on our minds. And will continue to.
  
• We grappled with the nature of evil— a strong word I don’t use lightly, but one we need to understand. Greed, lies, misogyny, and racism—forces that have been with us for a long time—reared their ugly heads and couldn’t be ignored. At the same time, I felt a growing, urgent longing for compassion, connection, truth, decency, and community. These forces for good—our better angels—also can’t be ignored.
  
• I found myself drawn to history in new ways. When I was in school, no one told us about the pro-Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden prior to World War II or how women’s roles were subtly reset in the 1950s by “new,” domesticated woman” narratives in Life Magazine. (And to think I once loved that magazine!) History reminds me that we’ve endured much, and real change takes time—even when time feels short.
  
• We learned about self-care, self-management, self-care, or (big word) neuro-self-regulation. Managing our fears and anxieties so they don’t manage us has become essential—and, thankfully, body-centered practices can help us do that.
  
• I was reminded of the importance of creating—making art or doing what we are called to do—as we weather life’s storms.
  
• We began to open up to a worldview that honors the feminine, the connected, caring side of life—not just from an equal rights perspective (though that’s still crucial) but from a sense of necessity. Evolving as a society requires a shift in consciousness at a deeper level than we might imagine.

Were such realizations enough to stem the electoral tidal wave? Apparently not.

Even if these ideas weren’t universally shared, they are powerful. They matter. We matter.

So whatever your mood today, and whether you share my feelings or beliefs—reach out. Help each other. Someone needs a hug. (And it might be me.)

Now, if you want a little piece of art to lift your spirits., I’d be glad to send you a “hug” in the form of a little bit of original art, with a wisdom quote just for you. Just let me know your mailing address.

Keep the faith.

And if you want a song for today, check this out: