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| The Columbia River Gorge with Vista House in the foreground. Photo by Molly |
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| On the trail to Latourell Falls |
Self-Care and Solidarity
In Traumatic Times
What self-care looks like will, of course, vary for each of us as we find our own unique ways to grieve, to stay grounded, to stay connected with what nourishes us, to not lose sight of beauty and compassion and love, and to resist hardening our hearts or getting lost in apathy or misinformation or despair. It is also my belief that sharing our stories of what is helpful and empowering can create ripples which feed what is most needed in these times both within us as individuals and collectively.
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A Glimpse Into My Self-Care on January 20th
Yesterday began for me with lighting a candle, smudging with sage, and prayers. I went on to read and share poetry and remembrances of Martin Luther King, Jr.
From 9-10:30am my husband and I also watched an amazing event hosted by Rebecca Solnit, who was also joined by Akaya Windwood, Anand Giridharadas, Bill McKibben, Liz Ogbu, and Charlie Jane Anders. Rebecca called this livestream event The Way We Get Through This is Together: Celebrating Community — https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.solnit/videos/1744975889403947. This was a special "gathering on Martin Luther King Day to celebrate community and cultivate a pathway for hope in these dark times." My husband and I experienced this to be indescribably powerful and nourishing on so many levels.
I also wept twice while watching and listening to these deeply moving conversations. The first time was when I learned that Leonard Peltier was being released from prison, which is so huge! And the second time that I was moved to tears was when I heard Anand Giridharadas speak, which I posted about here: https://mollystrongheart.blogspot.com/2025/01/excellent-please-read-and-share-anand.html. Such a profound breath of fresh air to move outside of the dehumanizing narratives us versus an Other!
There are many vital reminders that in the middle of so much darkness, there are also these bright lights of wisdom and truth, inspiration and compassion, community and solidarity, humor and hope. And love.
Then my husband, our golden retriever Shira, and I headed out to the Columbia River Gorge, which is less than an hour from our Vancouver home. The fierce east winds were exhilarating, the sounds of the rushing creek and tall fir trees were wondrous and wild, and the views of Mt. Hood and the gorge and the majestic Columbia River were beyond stunning. We also did a short hike back to Latourell Falls and absolutely soaked in the abundance of Wild Beauty. Everything was WOW!
Nature and beauty are a powerful antidote to our great sorrows and reminders of much larger pictures and the many blessings of our lives.
The end of the day was filled with our nightly ritual of playing the game of Uno Rummy-Up together, to which Ron and I have been totally addicted since Covid. Play and laughter and silliness are all so important!
And last but not least was watching the 2016 film Lion, which is now available on Netflix. Tear and more tears. Just an absolutely stunning film! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RNI9o06vqo) All that deeply touches and opens our hearts is a gift that helps keep us open, receptive, human and humane.
This is one day at a glance. Many more for all of us will follow...
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Taking Care of Our Precious Selves
There are so many different ways that we can evolve and grow our resilience, our spiritual practices, our experience of connection and community and solidarity, our discernment of who to trust or not trust for our information, our capacity for responding skillfully rather than reacting, and how it is that we meet the great challenges and heartbreaks of these times with integrity, courage, compassion, and an abiding commitment to alleviating the suffering for all beings.
We can be committed to expanding our circle of caring to ultimately include all of our earthly sisters and brothers, human and nonhuman alike. We can hold and work towards a vision of abundance — abundance of inclusivity, abundance of kindness, abundance of peace and justice and caring and generosity and compassion and love.
What I have experienced over the course of my many years of healing and awakening is that we cannot bring to the world and to others who are hurting what we deny ourselves. If we have a harsh inner critic, it will be hard to resist reacting to those we disagree with without judging and dehumanizing them. If we withhold kindness and compassion from ourselves, if we are isolated and fearful of vulnerability, if we are sitting on many layers of unaddressed ancestral and cultural trauma — all of this will inevitably limit and impair the potential we hold within ourselves to be part of the healing and health and wellness of ourselves, our families and communities, our country and other nations, and the world.
Taking care of our precious selves truly matters. Deeply.
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Honoring OurSelves and
All of Our Relations
I have been moved to share this quote from Mark Nepo again and again, who eloquently describes the essence of our human sacred core Self in this way — “Each person is born with an unencumbered spot, free of expectation and regret, free of ambition and embarrassment, free of fear and worry; an umbilical spot of grace where we were each first touched by God. It is this spot of grace that issues peace. Psychologists call this spot the Psyche, Theologians call it the Soul, Jung calls it the Seat of the Unconscious, Hindu masters call it Atman, Buddhists call it Dharma, Rilke calls it Inwardness, Sufis call it Qalb, and Jesus calls it the Center of our Love.”
The consciousness of the wholeness I carry within myself and that is threaded through us all is among the most powerful antidotes that I have found to the tendency to dehumanize anyone. This awareness, this recognition of the sacred within us — and including when it is most hidden — goes against the grain of what we are so often tragically indoctrinated into believing. And these normalized but harmful belief systems perpetuate the isolation, the separateness, the hatred and biases and prejudices, and all forms of violence within ourselves and our nation and beyond. Therefore, this recognition of and connection with our core Self is profoundly healing and empowering and transformative.
To the degree that we are able to befriend and hold with compassion and love all of our many parts while living from an increasingly are Self-led place is the degree that we are able to bring the wisdom, compassion, and love to ourselves and our planetary brothers and sisters that our world so deeply needs and hungers for. At least this has been my experience.
We are truly all related, all connected, all family, all in this together. And, in the words of Thích Nhất Hạnh — "We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness." This is also the fertile and sacred ground from which we humans will find solidarity and a commitment to caring for our precious selves and that of all life to which we are intimately connected.
May we be at peace.
May our hearts remain open.
May we know the beauty of
our own true nature.
May we be healed.
With heartfelt blessing to us all,
💗
Molly
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