Steady in the Swirl

Steady even as we wobble and weep and are worn-thin.

Whoa, it’s been a while since I’ve written anything here. Summer was really full, not only of strife in the world and the social media cesspool, but also in our life with a very busy #waterheals and #beautyheals season, Refuge realities, adult kid transitions, and soaking up as much resourcing and support from nature and community as we could. I’m finally feeling ready to make some space to connect this way again and share some things that have been swirling around in my head over the past chunk of months–more on a new series I’m going to finally practice sharing in my next post: New Ways for a New World: Life and Faith Beyond Binaries, Boxes, and Borders. It’s time!

Today, I just felt like writing these words after an exceptionally sh*tty couple of weeks in the news and political landscape that keeps eroding quickly. If you’re doing fine right now, they might not be for you but someone else in your life because everywhere we turn people are just…tired, wobbly, worn-down. I know I am.

Worn-thin ones,

Damn, it’s a lot.

We weren’t meant to hold this much information at this level for this long. Our brains and bodies aren’t wired for it yet, and it’s no surprise we’re overwhelmed.

Our core values, violated each and every day.

De-humanization de-volving our society from every angle.

Violence, division, outrage, destabilizing.

Two bizarrely different narratives and no way to find middle ground when the injustices are so blaring and harmful.

Losing faith in leaders, in humanity, in a way out, it’s easy for hopelessness to settle in.

Yet, here we are, trying to stay steady in the swirl.

We must.

We cannot go on their ride.

We cannot let outrage be our only language.

We cannot completely numb out because too much is at stake.

We cannot think a bright new leader will lead us out in triumph and might.

We cannot sustain this much dissonance without support.

We cannot let ourselves devolve and become de-humanizers, too.

What we can do is stay steady in the swirl.

Wobbly, yes, crawling sometimes, sure, but steady enough to not let the swirl take us under.

Steady in our guiding values, which reside deep within us and can’t be swayed.

Steady in our relationships alongside kindreds standing in solidarity, refusing to obey and abandon our neighbors, our values, our communities to injustice.

Steady in our bodies, applying every nervous system regulation tool we’ve got, however we can, whenever we can, wherever we can.

Steady in our souls, remembering that despite the ugly there’s also so much beauty in this world.

Steady in our advocacy, not comparing ourselves to others or constantly diminishing the small things we’re trying to do. We need it all.

Steady in our love, spreading it, sharing it, receiving it, believing in it because the practice of love keeps us human.

Steady in our support of our most vulnerable neighbors, friends, family members, whose rights are being stripped and whose humanity is being used as a tool to divide.

Steady in keeping the lives of our youth as secure and safe as possible in the crucial years of their development.

Steady in our faith, remembering faith is not a set of beliefs but core convictions that guide us and help us do hard things when we don’t know the outcome.

Steady in our right-sizing of ourselves, of others, knowing we can’t everything but we can do something, knowing that history unfortunately repeats itself and this is just our place in the story.

Steady in remembering this isn’t the moment for “We got this!”, but it definitely is the time to remember we’ve got each other.

Steady in the swirl.

Steady, together.

Steady even as we wobble and weep and are worn-thin.

Steady.

Thanks for helping steady me–your words, your friendship, your support, your example help more than you know.

With you from Colorado,

*Dan Rather’s Substack is called Steady, and I’m very grateful for his voice in the world right now.

PS: Soul Practice: Raw Conversations and Real Practices Podcast is Back on all major podcast platforms! Our first episode was two days before the horrible assassination and school shooting in Evergreen (where we used to live) and was just a simple start, but our second one could maybe help with some steadying right now as we centered on getting back to the basics–tools and things to remember to stay steady and supported right now.

PPS: The images I used in the title are from a trip we took over Labor Day weekend to the Dolomites. Here are a few more below. The beauty will be imprinted on my soul forever and maybe that lake image can offer some soul-steadying today. It did make us both a little weepy when we saw it. I also have to say, doing a Via Ferrata was not the most steadying experience in the moment, but I did it—one step up and clip in and movement forward at a time, just like we have to do this thing we’re doing now.