Day 10: A Slight Detour
We Crones Sometimes Need to Stop and Refresh...
Another Super Tuesday come and gone. The years blur into election cycles. We used to be able to wait until Labor Day for the craziness that was an election. We’ve been planning for this election - as well as the collapse of the plant - since 2022. Every day. It’s exhausting. We are faced with obstacles we’ve never seen before. Russian interference assisted by elected officials. Weather that changes and destroys. What was a once-in-a-hundred-year storm, now happens regularly.
Here are some thoughts from 2022. As in history, some things never change….
How do we reboot ourselves and our Mission?
So many questions, so much confusion…brain fog, the pandemic that won’t go away or is ignored, people who won’t help protect their fellow humans by wearing a mask or getting a vaccine (anecdote below), the idea that we could return “to normal” when there are needed systemic changes, the potential loss of our democratic dream (which needs to change at least in terms of equality and equity), the abysmal state of education at all levels, the world spinning out of control with nothing we can do, trying to figure out our role in making sure the world does not implode…
This was written two years ago, when we thought we were already at bottom, clawing our way back up to normalcy. Rereading this is a gut punch. We’ve gotten nowhere.
We have much more floating through our brains and hearts. We realize that the longer we worry about where we are, the more the heart hurts. There is so much that is wrong with everything around us over which we have no control. That helplessness extends and ripples out, making us more aware of the new needs for survival of the planet and the many species that should coexist with us.
Which path do we take? Which one will do the most good? How many paths do we need to be on at the same time? When and how do we take a break from the heartache that consumes us? How do we continue to read and inform ourselves and feel the overwhelming sense of despair that we can’t make even little changes? How do we react to those close to us who don’t see the urgency of the problems of predatory capitalism, racism, the rapid changes in weather and climate emergencies, childhood and family poverty, and homelessness? The list is endless, so where does one start?
I always think of Eleanor Roosevelt, my first female heroine: “The way to begin is to begin.”
We just begin, doing one small step, one small change, one small smile.
While much of our work involves writing, it also includes reading, learning, and contemplating so if we take a break from writing, it means we are doing deeper work that may take us longer to digest and communicate. In other words, we may take breaks from writing, but we are not taking breaks from learning and deepening our understanding of climate change, social justice, and sustainability. After all, this is life work for us. It’s like the monk on the top of the mountain, thinking about problems and questions.
We’re attempting nothing less than continuous small actions to change the world.
After all, we are Crones Who Care.
What are YOU doing?
According to David Brooks’ The Second Mountain, we discover another type of passion after we retire from our “career.” He calls this our new “life’s work,” which is our passion.
What Is Your Life’s Work?
So far in these first few days of the Agapé Project, we’ve been setting the stage for making change. We’re taking small steps each day, and we’ll continue that. What will change is the depth of new information and what we can do with it.
For today’s activity, write a letter to your younger — or older — self. What does agapé mean to you? Is it a brand new idea? Is it based in a particular belief? Have there been times in your life where loving kindness and compassion were second nature? Or were they a fleeting thought?
How have you gone about trying to change someone’s mind? What did your younger self believe? Your older self? Who did you argue with? How easy is confrontation for you?
Most of us started our confrontational experiences with our parents. As you headed into adulthood, what were confrontations like with those you weren’t related to? What approaches did you adopt? Any approaches that you have changed as you’ve gotten older?
Go down any path you want exploring these questions or others. As I’m typing this, I realize how much my whole younger being was to withdraw into myself. I was the one who kept people happy. It was my protection so I couldn’t be hurt.
But like many of us, I’m sure, we started recognizing injustice. We had to do something, anything, and all we felt we had were our words…and we learned the risks of taking a stand against the mainstream. But now we are older — we are Crones, ready to leave a legacy for those who follow us as we rise up for justice and equality. Our time is once again OUR time.
Tell yourself you have a new chance to make a difference, small steps at a time.
Go write that letter — and be kind to yourself. Feel free to share thoughts in the comments.
Linda , March 2024
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