Sometimes I come to the page and I don’t know what I’m gonna’ write. I come here but I don’t know what is going to show up. Today, I am here, but words and ideas are slow to materialize. So I’m going to keep sitting here, moving the fingers across the keyboard in the hopes of sparking inspiration.
Truthfully, I find it hard to be inspired in the face of the uncertainty. It is hard not to feel numb in lieu of outrage or fear instead of optimism when one reads the paper or watches the news. So many of us are experiencing this duality. There is a word for this and it is called hypernormalization: a state where we know the events that are unfolding around us and the unprecedented actions our leaders are taking are not as they should be, but we carry on as if everything is normal and okay. When it is clearly not. Like seeing a meme that’s a sad, pathetic take of our current state of affairs and laughing at it because it’s so perversely spot-on when we really want to be crying because it so perversely spot-on. It is a state of disconnect from the disharmony, chaos, and dysfunction that assaults us daily in order to survive. We go about our daily business of living as if everything is not turned upside down, as if it doesn’t look like martial law as ICE sweeps through Los Angeles, as if watching a Senator get forcibly pushed to the ground by Federal agents isn’t cause for alarm, as if loose canons aren’t in places of leadership threatening our security, as if it’s acceptable that thousands of people might die unnecessarily at the hands of the Republican reconciliation bill (51000-americans-will-die-every-year-as-a-direct-result-of-republican-health-plan-new-analysis). We go about our business of school field trips, soccer practices, showing up at work, celebrating birthdays because those things make up our lives and make our lives worth living. We put our heart and souls into the business of being alive, of taking care of those who need us. It’s not that we aren’t aware of what’s going on around us, we are. By doing what we do in the mundane tasks of everyday life, we prove that we are not giving up. We can experience intense emotional duality and still function. We are living our lives despite the odds playing out against humanity.
As we go about the art of living, may we also respond to our responsibility as citizens of a democratic country to engage in civil disobedience when the need arises. The need has arisen; the odds playing out against humanity demand our call to action. Multitudes of us plan to show up in peaceful protest at ‘No Kings’ events planned for June 14th, a nationwide day of defiance. Coinciding with Flag Day, the coordinated effort to defy authoritarianism is probably hosting an event near you: https://www.nokings.org/ Please participate if you can, so that in time, sooner rather than later, we can return to living a life where decency, compassion, and morality matter to our leaders and elected politicians so that we no longer have to live in a state of hypernormalization.
The duality of me enjoying every day of June against the ongoing news cycle is not lost on me. For every day that’s brought me closer to my 70th birthday, there’s been news that sends shock waves through my system. Yet these first thirteen days of June have brought me many sweet surprises, serendipitous good fortune, new adventures, connection with my loved ones, and heartwarming messages filled with tenderness from friends far and near. Maybe because I’ve been so blessed this far into my birthday month, I needed to acknowledge the distressing news to bring that duality to the page. There is no either/or …. life is both/and. Truth of the matter, there is always good news and bad news. Yin and yang. The rub has come from the ruthless bombardment of wrongness that is being sold as normal when it’s anything but. Still and all, the ability to be alive and present is a gift I want to acknowledge every day.
To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living. Herman Melville
How do I feel about turning 70? Pretty damn fortunate; I’m really, really grateful and happy to be celebrating this weekend - in whatever form that takes. I’m suspecting (and hoping) my family will surround me with their love and I couldn’t ask for anything better than that. Turning 70 is an honor. Heading into a new decade is an invitation to growth, insight, intuition and authenticity. It’s an invitation I am ready to accept.
Thank you for checking in with me for another Script.
Remain curious. Be well, be kind. As Always With Love
Happy Birthday! I hope your weekend delightful in spite of the madness in our world.