In these times, I feel gratitude for:
The earnest song of the first bird before dawn.
The magic that music holds
The possibilities that words create
Curiosity that takes the edge off of existential dread
Babies that smile and drool at the same time.
Libraries
In these times, I receive Wisdom from the earth in the form of:
The giant white oak tree across the street from me. Towering over the domed roof of the church beside it, this tree likely has seen and survived three floods and two pandemics. This tree, despite being currently rooted in a gravel parking lot, with a sign nailed to its trunk that says NO PARKING, houses squirrels, ravens that fly from the church to the tree and back again and more birds and insects.
The resilience, power and adaptability of this tree, branches swaying and rustling in summer storms, creaking and groaning in harsh winter winds, the aliveness of this tree a powerful witness to holding the space of extremes and everything in between.
The leaves and acorns of this tree that I collect in autumn and scatter through my house as a reminder to shed, release and let go.
The bright promise of the buds in spring, emerging, promising that seasons of starkness subside.
In these times, what breaks my heart is
Fucking everything.
Palestine, Gaza, Suden, Iran
The Disunited States of America.
My daughter’s depression.
The loss of my father whom I have been missing my entire life and who died in June.
Any language, meme, dialogue, political pontifications that dehumanize human beings.
Ningun se hermano es ilegal
The planet is talking to us and we aren’t listening.
The lack of courage of we as a people to reckon with the history and trajectory of violence and oppression in this country.
The continued response to conflict, even knowing violence can never repair harm or build relationship, to use greater force to crush the opposing group.
Feeling helpless.
Oceans of grief that is Irish, female and ancestral.
In these times, I am in collaboration with:
The giant oak tree across the street from me.
The abundance of the earth and bounty from our twelve raised beds full of peppers, eggplant, beets, tomatoes, celery, onions, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, arugula, all from our city yard.
Joyful disrupters
Those living and loving their way into the Beloved Community.
Words and Music
The gift economy
the rolling hills that surround this place where two rivers meet
The elements-grounded earth, inquiry of water, transformation of fire, the spaciousness of air and the vastness of space.
In these times, NO MATTER WHAT, I am a commitment to:
Radical Joy
Spiritual Absurdity
Humbleness, Authenticity and Integrity
Lifelong Learning
Active Hope
Awe and Wonder
Living into radical self/community/collective care
Creating through words, music and community building
Love as gravity, the primal force of bonding and attraction that drives the ongoing process of creation
Understanding myself as a verb, a process that is always unfolding and changing yet holds a center.
*note-this is an exercise that can be used as a writing prompt and/or for group process work. This comes from The Work That Reconnects and root teacher Joanna Macy.
For more information on the Work That Reconnects, please visit
, where I study and am a member of the Founder’s Circle.
