I feel like we are on the same or at least similar pages. I'd spent the week reading The Covenant of Water and working on my book. But then I published my Substack today (very similar themes IMO) and wanted to share it on FB, and spent too long there. Definitely need to be letting WAY less of that in
I think it's wonderful that we are all connected by the same discoveries and resolve whether we know it or not. I'll look forward to reading your essay. And you are right! Watch out for FB and everywhere else.
A friend sent me your post. I have been careful what I have let in and I have had lots of good things come my way because I am fortunate that I have very supportive communities. I have been numb up until now and this morning I have sobbed for the first time reading your post. After that I signed up as a founding member and I am going to pass this along far and wide to my supportive family and friends. Thank you.....I feel as if I can handle what is coming our way whatever it might be. Terry
Terry, your words touch me deeply. I am glad for your supportive communities. I am glad for the tears that finally came because they may help to heal you. Your support is generous and speaks volumes about how the right words at the right time can connect us all. Thank you so much for sharing how you've been feeling and how you are now viewing the future. And thank you thank you thank you for your generous subscription.
Thank you for this post, Betsy. We're all in this together. On Wednesday I hid in a tree in Balboa Park. On Thursday I joined 19 other writers to write together to a prompt, on Friday, I dared to watch PBS Newshour, today (Saturday) I participated in a poetry workshop. And on it goes. Annie Dillard's quote has been a reminder to me: "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." Thank you for including it. What I must do next will be revealed if I make myself available.
Yes, Judy, we're all in it together. I saw you in that tree (photo)! Seemed perfect to me. You've long been a force to gather people to write together and, in doing that, you've probably helped more people than you can ever count.
Thank you for this post. Although I didn't believe the polls and knew he was going to win again, I'm just numb. I don't want to go through this again. I don't want to see the stories or the commentary about him. I'm sure that will pass but for I'm just dreading him taking office.
I'm reading and reviewing books. This always tends to ground me.
Hugs back at you, Kathy. I have not yet read or watched anything either. I'm not sure it will pass. One thing for sure: I am definitely going to think hard about where I get my information and restrict the flow of noise.
Among the books you are reading and reviewing, are there ones that seem helpful for this moment?
I'm like you-I don't think it will pass. The press breathlessly covers anything and everything about it. They have learned nothing in the years since he dropped down that tacky escalator and into our lives.
I'm just getting back to reading because I worked the elections from Oct 19 through election day. I tend to read a lot of mysteries. I recently read House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen and What Comes After by Joanne Tompkins (I highly recommend this one). I'm also reading The Smartest Guys in the Room-it's about the Enron scandal. I knew just the basics of the scandal but I'm literally gobsmacked about what they were doing and how many people knew about it (including moneylenders and Wall Street). Let's just say I'm glad I don't have any investments in the stock market.
I also subscribe to PBS Passport and I watch a lot documentaries and British mysteries LOL
I have begun to read Chris Whitaker's "We Begin at the End." It is a tale of 2 individuals who deserve better, but are helpless in finding their better tomorrows. It is a story of how the human spirit prevails, & I so desperately need that right now.
I also began Alaina Urquhart's "The Butcher Game" for pure escape.
I must run from the darkness that has permeated the country with our recent election results, & once I open that exit door, I may NEVER return.
You've made me want to read "We Begin at the End." Thank you for sharing it. As for that exit door -- I get it, I totally get it. The urge to just leave - physically or metaphorically abandon -- this darkness is seductive. Please stay.
Thank you, Joan. I discovered Zinn late in life. His voice is bracing and that quote is one I return to often. It bridges all kinds of gaps. I shared it years ago with my dad whose view of the world and politics were very different than mine. He loved it and felt the truth of it.
Thank you, Betsy. It has been a surreal week… I’m grateful for my family and friends. I’m going to try to understand what has happened, not for blame or hating, but for change… change that I can be a part of. Our country can’t go on with so much hurt. After 2016, I put on a pink hat and marched in Washington DC. This time I feel my mission is closer to home. Keep writing and helping us puzzle this out together. XOX
Yes, Michelle, it's been a strange week. We were in Washington too. It does feel different this time for me, too -- more of a long-haul situation that requires gathering and focus.
I think your decision to focus closer to home is a good one. We don't have to go far to find everything that is both good and bad about being human or being American.
Thank you for this beautiful post full of so much I can hang on to. Stunned at first, I am back to writing, mostly poetry, playing a lot of music, and taking long walks. I have stopped watching the news and started reading a historical novel, Sing, Wild Bird, Sing by Jacqueline O'Mahoney that takes me far away to another time and place.
I'm glad you are writing and walking and taking in your music. I've been reading Bleak House by Dickens and, surprisingly, it has allowed me to process and escape, both. Books that take us back in time can help us see where we are a bit differently, don't you think?
The best I felt all week was letting my dog run off leash in the park to her heart’s content on a grassy field that says “no dogs allowed”… I would have gladly paid a ticket - if I got one… needed to see and feel her joy …. Thankful for my dog (god). 🐕 other than that, I’m trying to not let fear and worry overwhelm me but I am deeply depressed about the direction our country is going. Hopefully we shall turn it back around and progress again in all sorts of magnificent ways in our lifetime…. 🙏💙
Bernadette, dogs do have a way of tapping into joy, don't they? Maybe we should all imagine ourselves running , free of the leashes formed by fear and worry.
I am in no doubt that recent events will impact on the world in ways we have yet to comprehend, but I am more curious than afraid and, despite being 80, I hope I get another five years to see what happens here in the U.K. as well as America. I am a lifelong localist and Socialist who has, at times, had more power than most members of our Parliament have ever had, and I have always shared it and embraced the opposition.
The things that matter most are those which happen on your doorstep. Embrace your neighbor. Find your common ground and build on that. One of your followers, Sandra de Helen, in a recent substack post recounted a doorstep conversation during which someone paid her a compliment as she was writing postcards for the Democrat campaign (https://open.substack.com/pub/sandradehelen). This cheered me no end. I recently thanked Anne Kadet, who in cafeanne.substack.com, celebrates individuality and neighbourhood, for not mentioning the American General Election once. It is history. Look forward and try to ensure people understand one another a little better before the next General Election.
Too many politicians on all sides thrive on division. Dare to be a Daniel. Look forward. That is the Betsy I believe in. Take care🐰
Thank you, Robert! There is so much to be found in our neighborhoods and cities where our actions can have the most impact. I have loved Anne's newsletter because she covers New York the way I used to cover a small town when I was a journalist. She brings the city to life.
I was scolded for writing I am sad. 😶I’ve been reading one silly mystery after another. New favorite mystery author : Catherine Steadman. God bless her for taking my mind off everything for a second.
I've never read Catherine Steadman. Thank you for the recommendation! And thank you for your wonderful posts about Italian culture and movies. I look forward to them -- they remind me that the world is bigger than it sometimes feels.
I'm living my life a day at a time. Who knows what the new regime holds for older people, LGBTQIA+2S people? For poor people? I am in all three categories, as are my friends and many of my family members. I read James by Percival Everett this week. (Most of it the night of the election when I couldn't sleep). A great book about a character who lived enslaved, seeking freedom for himself and his family. Last night I read Margaret Atwood's essay about why and how she wrote The Handmaid's Tale. Like many others, I'm having all the feelings, and I am going about the business of living.
I've found myself thinking a lot about what the future looks and feels like at different ages. America has never been hospitable to the old compared to many other societies. Is it worse to be looking at it all from the vantage point of a thirty-year-old with so much before her? Who knows. All we can do is what you are doing: living one day at a time and going about the business of living.
Would you share a link or the source where you found Atwood's essay about how and why she wrote The Handmaid's Tale? Is it her Substack?
Thank you.
You're welcome, Rebecca. Thank you for reading.
I feel like we are on the same or at least similar pages. I'd spent the week reading The Covenant of Water and working on my book. But then I published my Substack today (very similar themes IMO) and wanted to share it on FB, and spent too long there. Definitely need to be letting WAY less of that in
I think it's wonderful that we are all connected by the same discoveries and resolve whether we know it or not. I'll look forward to reading your essay. And you are right! Watch out for FB and everywhere else.
A friend sent me your post. I have been careful what I have let in and I have had lots of good things come my way because I am fortunate that I have very supportive communities. I have been numb up until now and this morning I have sobbed for the first time reading your post. After that I signed up as a founding member and I am going to pass this along far and wide to my supportive family and friends. Thank you.....I feel as if I can handle what is coming our way whatever it might be. Terry
Terry, your words touch me deeply. I am glad for your supportive communities. I am glad for the tears that finally came because they may help to heal you. Your support is generous and speaks volumes about how the right words at the right time can connect us all. Thank you so much for sharing how you've been feeling and how you are now viewing the future. And thank you thank you thank you for your generous subscription.
Thank you for this post, Betsy. We're all in this together. On Wednesday I hid in a tree in Balboa Park. On Thursday I joined 19 other writers to write together to a prompt, on Friday, I dared to watch PBS Newshour, today (Saturday) I participated in a poetry workshop. And on it goes. Annie Dillard's quote has been a reminder to me: "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." Thank you for including it. What I must do next will be revealed if I make myself available.
Yes, Judy, we're all in it together. I saw you in that tree (photo)! Seemed perfect to me. You've long been a force to gather people to write together and, in doing that, you've probably helped more people than you can ever count.
Thank you for this post. Although I didn't believe the polls and knew he was going to win again, I'm just numb. I don't want to go through this again. I don't want to see the stories or the commentary about him. I'm sure that will pass but for I'm just dreading him taking office.
I'm reading and reviewing books. This always tends to ground me.
Hugs to all who feel a bit demoralized right now.
Hugs back at you, Kathy. I have not yet read or watched anything either. I'm not sure it will pass. One thing for sure: I am definitely going to think hard about where I get my information and restrict the flow of noise.
Among the books you are reading and reviewing, are there ones that seem helpful for this moment?
I'm like you-I don't think it will pass. The press breathlessly covers anything and everything about it. They have learned nothing in the years since he dropped down that tacky escalator and into our lives.
I'm just getting back to reading because I worked the elections from Oct 19 through election day. I tend to read a lot of mysteries. I recently read House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen and What Comes After by Joanne Tompkins (I highly recommend this one). I'm also reading The Smartest Guys in the Room-it's about the Enron scandal. I knew just the basics of the scandal but I'm literally gobsmacked about what they were doing and how many people knew about it (including moneylenders and Wall Street). Let's just say I'm glad I don't have any investments in the stock market.
I also subscribe to PBS Passport and I watch a lot documentaries and British mysteries LOL
Thank you for this
Sending love, Beth.
I have begun to read Chris Whitaker's "We Begin at the End." It is a tale of 2 individuals who deserve better, but are helpless in finding their better tomorrows. It is a story of how the human spirit prevails, & I so desperately need that right now.
I also began Alaina Urquhart's "The Butcher Game" for pure escape.
I must run from the darkness that has permeated the country with our recent election results, & once I open that exit door, I may NEVER return.
You've made me want to read "We Begin at the End." Thank you for sharing it. As for that exit door -- I get it, I totally get it. The urge to just leave - physically or metaphorically abandon -- this darkness is seductive. Please stay.
Wonderful post, Elizabeth! And thank you for introducing me to Howard Zinn.
Thank you, Joan. I discovered Zinn late in life. His voice is bracing and that quote is one I return to often. It bridges all kinds of gaps. I shared it years ago with my dad whose view of the world and politics were very different than mine. He loved it and felt the truth of it.
Thank you, Betsy. It has been a surreal week… I’m grateful for my family and friends. I’m going to try to understand what has happened, not for blame or hating, but for change… change that I can be a part of. Our country can’t go on with so much hurt. After 2016, I put on a pink hat and marched in Washington DC. This time I feel my mission is closer to home. Keep writing and helping us puzzle this out together. XOX
Yes, Michelle, it's been a strange week. We were in Washington too. It does feel different this time for me, too -- more of a long-haul situation that requires gathering and focus.
I think your decision to focus closer to home is a good one. We don't have to go far to find everything that is both good and bad about being human or being American.
Thank you for this beautiful post full of so much I can hang on to. Stunned at first, I am back to writing, mostly poetry, playing a lot of music, and taking long walks. I have stopped watching the news and started reading a historical novel, Sing, Wild Bird, Sing by Jacqueline O'Mahoney that takes me far away to another time and place.
I'm glad you are writing and walking and taking in your music. I've been reading Bleak House by Dickens and, surprisingly, it has allowed me to process and escape, both. Books that take us back in time can help us see where we are a bit differently, don't you think?
The best I felt all week was letting my dog run off leash in the park to her heart’s content on a grassy field that says “no dogs allowed”… I would have gladly paid a ticket - if I got one… needed to see and feel her joy …. Thankful for my dog (god). 🐕 other than that, I’m trying to not let fear and worry overwhelm me but I am deeply depressed about the direction our country is going. Hopefully we shall turn it back around and progress again in all sorts of magnificent ways in our lifetime…. 🙏💙
Bernadette, dogs do have a way of tapping into joy, don't they? Maybe we should all imagine ourselves running , free of the leashes formed by fear and worry.
I love the way your mind works! I am going to try with all my might to do just that! 🐕🙏💕
I am in no doubt that recent events will impact on the world in ways we have yet to comprehend, but I am more curious than afraid and, despite being 80, I hope I get another five years to see what happens here in the U.K. as well as America. I am a lifelong localist and Socialist who has, at times, had more power than most members of our Parliament have ever had, and I have always shared it and embraced the opposition.
The things that matter most are those which happen on your doorstep. Embrace your neighbor. Find your common ground and build on that. One of your followers, Sandra de Helen, in a recent substack post recounted a doorstep conversation during which someone paid her a compliment as she was writing postcards for the Democrat campaign (https://open.substack.com/pub/sandradehelen). This cheered me no end. I recently thanked Anne Kadet, who in cafeanne.substack.com, celebrates individuality and neighbourhood, for not mentioning the American General Election once. It is history. Look forward and try to ensure people understand one another a little better before the next General Election.
Too many politicians on all sides thrive on division. Dare to be a Daniel. Look forward. That is the Betsy I believe in. Take care🐰
Thank you, Robert! There is so much to be found in our neighborhoods and cities where our actions can have the most impact. I have loved Anne's newsletter because she covers New York the way I used to cover a small town when I was a journalist. She brings the city to life.
What Voltaire recommended in his time applies today as well- “Cultivate your own garden.”
Yes. Thank you for this, Harald.
I was scolded for writing I am sad. 😶I’ve been reading one silly mystery after another. New favorite mystery author : Catherine Steadman. God bless her for taking my mind off everything for a second.
Next week, the battle begins.
I've never read Catherine Steadman. Thank you for the recommendation! And thank you for your wonderful posts about Italian culture and movies. I look forward to them -- they remind me that the world is bigger than it sometimes feels.
Thank you for this, Elizabeth. ✨
Thank you for reading, Jolene (and for the links to the twice-baked potatoes. That is the kind of food I'm looking for right now to nourish the soul)
If I see another I think is really great, I’ll dm you, Elizabeth! ❤️
I'm living my life a day at a time. Who knows what the new regime holds for older people, LGBTQIA+2S people? For poor people? I am in all three categories, as are my friends and many of my family members. I read James by Percival Everett this week. (Most of it the night of the election when I couldn't sleep). A great book about a character who lived enslaved, seeking freedom for himself and his family. Last night I read Margaret Atwood's essay about why and how she wrote The Handmaid's Tale. Like many others, I'm having all the feelings, and I am going about the business of living.
I've found myself thinking a lot about what the future looks and feels like at different ages. America has never been hospitable to the old compared to many other societies. Is it worse to be looking at it all from the vantage point of a thirty-year-old with so much before her? Who knows. All we can do is what you are doing: living one day at a time and going about the business of living.
Would you share a link or the source where you found Atwood's essay about how and why she wrote The Handmaid's Tale? Is it her Substack?
I should have said. It's in her book Burning Questions.