Don’t Look Away
I was going to stay off of social media and the news this weekend, but I did a 180 instead. While I believe that boundaries around media and social media are critical for our wellbeing these days, I made peace with the fact that I was going to log in, doomscroll a bit, and just see what was happening and what people are saying about all the things.
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I believe we are at a critical point where it’s time to critically think, and critically discuss; What is at the heart of what we believe about our humanity? While we pride ourselves in this country on “Independence”, can we see that this idea is flawed when it flies in the face of “Interdependence”, which is actually a fundamental and universal truth that underlies all of life on this planet? For me, seeing the ways that people are coming together to demand that their voices be heard over the weekend gave me hope. (Do you follow anything that shows international coverage of what is happening here? Before you say it doesn’t matter or you don’t care, the economic and geopolitical fallout from us snubbing our primary trade and alliance partners are very, very, problematic). In times such as these, hope is not necessarily a strategy in and of itself, but we cannot lose sight of this North Star on dark nights. Each of us is called right now to assess what is within our hearts and energies to do, be, and demand of each other.
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As for hope? I offer a little poem, taken from a book that is a recent gift from a dear friend of mine:
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HOPE
By Rosemary Wahtola Trommer
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Hope has holes
In its pockets.
It leaves little
Crumb trails
So that we,
When anxious,
Can follow it.
Hope’s secret:
It doesn’t know
The destination-
It knows only
That all roads
Begin with one
Foot in front of the other.
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Take care of yourselves my friends.
xoxo,
Gina
+++ Gina D. Graham, LCSW is a Clinical Therapist and Portrait Photographer in the suburbs of Chicago. Her work is grounded in empowering girls and women to see their natural and raw beauty, as well as use their strengths, talents, and unique abilities to make their mark on the world. Gina is also the author of Body Beautiful; How Changing the Conversation About Our Bodies Has the Power to Change the World.