Final night time, the boys and I fell asleep at 10 p.m. with out but understanding who gained the election. Anton wished to sleep in my mattress. At 3 a.m., I wakened with a begin, checked my cellphone, and wept. The outcomes weren’t good — particularly for girls, immigrants, LGBT+ people, the listing goes on and on.
I thought of what to write down in a put up right this moment. Decide-me-ups? Motion gadgets? A second of silence? It’s laborious to know what to say. What type phrases have you ever been saying to your folks and youngsters? Your individual beautiful face within the mirror?
One factor that provides me hope is remembering who we’re. The images above present 16 Cup of Jo readers — joyful, caring, humorous, whip good — and there are 1,000,000 extra of us. One million extra! Good males, considerate ladies, good youngsters, and giggly kids are throughout us and aren’t going anyplace. And that goodness provides up. “There’s no single reply that may resolve all of our future issues,” wrote Octavia E. Butler. “There’s no magic bullet. As a substitute there are millions of solutions — at the very least. You might be certainly one of them in case you select to be.”
This election is just not the top of the story. Regardless that this nation voted for Trump — such a deep and crushing heartbreak — we’re nonetheless transferring ahead. Wrote Maya Angelou: “We could encounter many defeats, however we should not be defeated. It could even be essential to encounter the defeat, in order that we will know who we’re. In order that we will see, oh, that occurred, and I rose. I did get knocked down flat in entrance of the entire world, and I rose. I didn’t run away – I rose proper the place I’d been knocked down.”
For those who really feel overwhelmed right this moment, consider small issues you are able to do for now, neighbors you may assist, family members you may textual content. Keep in mind the starfish story? 1000’s of starfish had been washed up on a seaside after a storm. A bit boy was throwing them again into the water, one after the other. An previous man noticed him and stated, “You’ll by no means be capable of save all of them; you gained’t make an actual distinction.” The boy picked up a starfish and stated, “I made a distinction to this one.”
Right here’s a to-do listing from illustrator Sophie Lucido Johnson:
Sending the largest hug to anybody who wants one, and a lot love, as at all times. xoxo And in case you’d like and are ready, please be a part of us in donating to organizations doing nice work. Cup of Jo is donating $5,000 to every of two organizations, one small, one massive: Ruth’s Refuge, which supplies residence furnishings and different necessities to refugees, asylees and asylum seekers in New York Metropolis; and the ACLU, which defends the rights of all folks nationwide (together with reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, prisoners’ rights, our proper to vote, and rather more). Dangle in there, associates; we’re all right here. xo
(Octavia E. Butler quote by way of Corinne Fay.)