Time to Rest

Fallow Ground

“Sometimes you just need to disconnect and enjoy your own company.”

Anonymous

The past few weeks have been grueling for many Americans. Watching the hearings for the Supreme Court nominee brought up all that is raw and unfinished in our national psyche. The anxiety level has been astronomically high as we waited to see what would happen. And, after the vote, it was as though all the juice drained out of many of us. There's a physiological reason for that, and a spiritual one. The adrenalin we've been living on, that's been coursing non-stop through our veins, interfering with sleep, and making us nervous and edgy has stopped flowing. We feel flat. And, we feel discouraged by the entire spectacle. Many tears have been shed. We've heard a lot of yelling, blaming, mocking, and name-calling. There has been lack of civil discourse, and lack of respect. Regardless of what you think about Kavenaugh or Ford, Republicans or Democrats, this was a dreadful display of a dysfunctional system.

It may take us a while to find equilibrium again. But we will. One day at a time. We've been led to believe that feeling sad and spent is not okay. That we have to do something immediately to turn it around, even if that means faking happiness we don't feel. I know all to well how terrible it is to be depressed, but we might try thinking of it as fallow time. In this moment, as we regroup and regain our energy, we will come to some resolutions about a way forward. Women, especially, are disappointed. We tell ourselves that nothing has changed—but, having lived now more than seventy years, I can tell you unequivocally, many things have changed. Each day, we move the needle a little further in the direction of equality. What we cannot do is give up.

That great psychologist, Johnny Depp, says, “People cry, not because they are weak. It's because they have been strong for too long.” Now may be a time for tears, but mostly, it's a time to allow ourselves to heal. We don't have to figure out everything at once. We can breathe and rest. We are strong. We will get up again and do what needs to be done. We are not deterred, we are simply incubating.

                                                       In the Spirit,

                                                           Jane