essay

A large swath of voters in the US elected a man-child to the highest office in the land. Some voted in denial of his words and deeds; others, as far as I can tell, didn’t care. No matter. The President-elect takes office Monday morning, coinciding with a federal holiday honoring the late, great Martin Luther King, Jr. The juxtaposition is depressing.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

As this country mourns the death of former President Jimmy Carter, the President-elect has asked that the flag be raised for his special day, an act that is self-centered, disrespectful, undignified, and crude.

The Carter Center’s mission is to Wage Peace, Fight Disease, and Build Hope.

The new guy wants to set back women’s rights by a century, as he hatefully deports hard-working immigrants while freeing the criminals who attacked the Capital on his behalf. He’s cozying up to three of the world’s wealthiest billionaires while lining his pockets and lying for sport.

When I hear that we’ve “seen worse” or “we’ll get through this,” I cringe. Some of us will be fine, others won’t, and race and gender will unjustly determine many outcomes.

I struggle as I search for ways to be. It takes energy to be scared and angry all the time. Avoiding news coverage helps tame the beast, but it’s always waiting to pounce on the other side.

Joshua Rothman’s piece in the New Yorker suggests that:

“Our political culture tells us to see our opponents as uniformly awful—to reduce them to their vote—and yet ordinary human experience shows that most people are complex, decent, and just trying to get along. What should we prioritize: the stark binaries of politics or the reality of people as we know them? Hope doesn’t deny how grim things are; it doesn’t look away from the news, wish away the signs in the street, or sugarcoat the terrible plans of those coming to power. But it doesn’t deny the potential in people, either. “

In “The Spirit of Hope,” the philosopher Byung-Chul Han “distinguishes between hope and optimism. “Hopeful thinking is not optimistic thinking,” Han writes, with emphasis. Optimism “knows neither doubt nor despair. Its essence is sheer positivity.”

I hope positive thinking, acts of kindness, and truth will see me through.

Amazing things happen when you look through the lens of a camera. It’s an interesting metaphor for life.

We can view a glass as half empty or half full or we can focus on the small etches in the glass, marvel at the glass’ ability to hold water and consider its resilience. That glass stands up to multiple washings and use, and perhaps a tumble or two.

Seven days of hard frost laid waste the less-hardy plants in our garden. This kind of cold snap is unheard of in San Jose, a semi-arid climate known for moderate temps. It was disheartening seeing all that damage, but a reminder too, that loss is part of life. So too, is resilience.

I donned my warm coat, slung the camera over my shoulder and took pictures of nature’s etching. While the ferns took a hit, the plants survived. Frosty fingers tickled the fronds, but the roots stayed warm and strong.

Frost damaged ferns

All three geraniums seemed to collapse from the frost, but beneath the wilt, I see life. I’ve gardened long enough to know that nature serves up some amazing things. I’ll wait for spring before a true assessment is in order.

Geranium droop

Geranium leaves

Meanwhile, since frost is as much a part of nature as wind, rain, snow and sun, I’m choosing to embrace the beauty in all of it.

Frozen beauty

Organized at Heart

I’m posting a series of articles featuring organizing around the holidays this month on my blog Organized at Heart. If the subject interests you, please go take a peak. Today’s blog offers tips for Organizing Christmas Morning.