"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."
Martin Luther King, Jr
I am feeling big feelings today. I realize I am not immune to the state of the world and universe around me but it is rare when I let myself lean in and listen to the sorrow on repeat.
I think mercy and grace are defined by compassion for the loss of so many imagined futures. Let’s be honest I never felt cosseted in any way by my peers and colleagues. I fought for every crumb and when I was down on my luck — I went “hungry”. I don’t know if it is the way of people in general or women specifically but I never figured out why we are left out of certain whispered dialogues and included in others.
But this thing we are experiencing has fear intertwined in a way that seemed to shock a lot of us.
If we lose social security in any capacity I am in big trouble. My mom is self sufficient due to her social security benefits and a teaching pension. This could change over night. I don’t have a job. I write, I speak at events and dabble with geospatial clients here and there. This may need to change. A few of the opportunities I am pursuing are exciting but as is typical of the last 10 years of my professional life, there is no safety net below the tight rope.
A family member working with immigration and refugee status lost their job due to draconian measures at the federal level. A recent graduate and new hire as a nuclear engineer has a start date that might not appear. Dozens of colleagues responsible for climate safety, cancer research, government oversight — gone, gone and gone.
What can we do? Collective forward action and operating on the faith of a system that has survived up until now. Those are all the tangibles I can offer.
There is a word in Icelandic that might be our way forward in these early days —
sauðljóst
It means, “at dawn when there is just enough light to see your sheep”…
Keep your tender heart and all that matters to you close.
Don’t lose sight of your “sheep”…