There are people who do not want to watch the news because it is almost unbearable. There are people who watch it, religiously, & let it bring them to their knees. & there are people in between, like me. To turn away & not know what is going on, currently, in our world, would mean you are living under a rock. Seems every day is filled with some form of violence or killing or riot or hate filled crime. Been reading a lot about this whole white supremacy bullshit. Upsets me to my core being. Been thinking about what I can do, personally, to help the world be more at peace.
I found this fascinating, check it out: https://www.lifeafterhate.org
Speaking of Trump gives him power.
Speaking about those white supremacy rioters gives them power.
Saying things like “anti-Trump,” “Love Not Hate,” “Love TRUMPS Hate,””Anti-racist,””Anti-white supremacy,” “He’s Not My President,” & more, still accentuates what we do not want in this world. If you are for love, be PRO-LOVE. If you are for peace, be PRO-PEACE.
If you are anti-Trump, don’t talk about Trump. Like it or not, he is our president. Talking about how much we hate him, how much of a clown he is, or how completely incompetent the man is, is not going to suddenly take him out of office. He’s there.
My therapist told me, Monday, after I began balling my eyes out over the weekend’s events, days after the white supremacy riot in Charlottesville/ hearing the news of an innocent woman getting mowed over by a vehicle, that it might be time for a media break. I get pulled the fuck down. I get sucked in & it affects my happiness & threatens my joy. There is suffering in the world & it seems a bit magnified these days.
A few days ago, I was not able to sleep. I was staring up at the ceiling in Hope’s room. I was laying on an air mattress, for Camp Cozy. I looked at each of her four walls & noticed words that jumped out at me:
LOVE:
“All you need is love. All you need is love. All you need is love, love, love is all you need.” The Beatles
DREAM:
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
IMAGINE:
It isn’t hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
And no religion too,
Imagine all the people living life in peace, you
But I’m not the only one,
I hope some day you’ll join us,
And the world will be as one.“
HOPE:
“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” Shawshank Redemption
Directly above Hope’s dresser, there is a painting of a tree in every tint and shade of the rainbow with big and little hearts as leaves. I think of my favorite yoga pose, beloved tree pose (gratitude pose) from my hot yoga practice. My tree always grows and I spread love like confetti all over the world.
I also noticed a colorful cross above her bed that read, “BLESSED.” I stared at my blonde-haired gal as she slept so peacefully. Her little ringlet curls spilled over her Cinderella pillow case. My cup runneth over.
I noticed a second cross above her bed. It was decoratively painted with words written in cursive. I noticed that the word “FAITH,” was missing the “F.” How ironic! These days I’ve kinda sorta lost my faith in humanity. Just want the violence, hate, venom, & spatting to end.
I prayed for:
- Things to get better
- A more peaceful, more loving, & more kind world
- The threats to bomb Guam to end
- The hateful acts to cease
- Humanity to look at one another with fresh eyes & realize & recognize that we truly are more alike than we think
What I know:
I can’t control others. I can control me.
I can’t control others reactions. I can control my reactions.
I can’t control the actions of others. I can control my actions.
I can’t control others choices. I can control my choices.
I can’t make others be peaceful. I can be peaceful.
I can’t make others love. I can be love.
I can’t make others be kind. I can be kind.
What I CAN do:
- Teach my children to: stand up for what is right, tolerate people from all walks of life, love all people, be peaceful, stick up for those too afraid to use their own voice, & accept
- Sport bumper magnets with these words: “Coexist,””Peace,”& “Love”
- Look people in the eye & make a point to be present
- Treat all people with respect, kindness, & love
- Distribute water & food to the homeless
- Send monthly cash gifts to Juan & Camille in Honduras by continuing to sponsor them through CHILDREN’S INTERNATIONAL: https://www.children.org
- Compliment others
- Give people the benefit of the doubt
- Participate in a ‘First Friday’ by displaying & selling my paintings & essential oil scrubs, as I’ll donate a portion of my earnings to charity
- Talk to everyone I know about KIND KIDS USA: https://www.kindkidsusa.com
- Tip more than necessary
- Donate much needed toiletries to the homeless
- Donate clothes to BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS: http://www.bbbsaz.org
- Donate to FMSC: https://give.fmsc.org
What big and small ways can you make a difference?
Isn’t it beautiful that each of us are different, & yet, the same? We all share energy with the world. We have the ability to spread joy, kindness, love, passion, & peace like glitter each & every day, with each & every person, & with each and every interaction!
Try on these actions:
- BE peaceful
- WALK in love
- LIVE your message
- REPRESENT acceptance
Consider these questions:
- What legacy do you want to leave in your wake?
- What do you want to stand for?
- What energy do you send out?
- What words do you speak?
- What message do you send?
- When you walk into a room, how do you make people feel?
- What is your way of being?
There is an anti-Trump rally on Tuesday. I insist on calling it the PRO-LOVE rally. I’ll be there with my glittery sign. I’ll stand strong.
I’m reminded of my very favorite quote of all time written by the wise Theodore Roosevelt:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt
just another mama next door 
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