When the world is loud and feels unsafe
Right now, the world feels scary. Maybe you are younger than me, and it’s your first go-round with “World War III/the end of the world.” Or maybe you are my age (61 and counting) or older, and this is your fourth or fifth time dealing with the uncertainty of things that feel big and super scary. All hail Gen X.
I wrote and then deleted a brief history of things from the 80s until now. Because truly, the important thing to me right now, today, is that you, and me, and everyone we know and love are okay at the moment.
When I first typed it, I meant that I wanted to help us all be okay at the moment, but it occurs to me that most of us are, at this moment, okay. Maybe we have shit to handle at work, or a scary diagnosis to deal with, or caretaking that is draining us, but that’s the same as it was before Saturday, when the old guy leading the US decided to bomb Iran based on whispers from an old guy from another country.
So let me repeat it: at this moment, you are okay.
Better yet, say it out loud right now:
At this moment, I am okay.
The sun rises, the sun sets.
The tide rushes in, then rushes back out.
The stars in the night sky continue to twinkle.
The birds sing their songs, and so do the tree frogs.
The wind whispers through trees and grass.
And at this moment, you are okay.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Let your shoulders drop.
