Yesterday was a day of settling back in at home after two weeks with family in Oakland—unpacking and grocery shopping and organizing and making lists—all accompanied by sudden, electric squalls of wind and rain. And of celebration. Even with the storm, optimism lightened the air, and people gathered on street corners with signs and cheers, all of us driving by and honking and cheering, too.
Later in the afternoon, I watched President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris speak at a celebration in Wilmington, DE, cars parked as if in a drive-in movie and such a rowdy, joyous noise of celebration. When Kamala spoke (is it OK for me to address her with just her first name? I feel like I know her; Joe, too, but then we’ve known Joe for a long, long time)—when Kamala spoke, I wept. And I wasn’t alone. She took to the stage, radiant in her white suit, shining—a Black/Asian-American woman on that stage, not as “wife of…” but as Vice President-elect of the United States! Our beautiful, smart, bright, smiling, capable—more than that—powerful and fierce Vice President-elect.
Someone reminded me that when Joe Biden makes his State of the Union address in 2021, two women will be on that podium with him: the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.
We don’t change suddenly—snap—like that; we change incrementally. We are that enormous ship in the ocean the cannot turn on a dime. But let us proceed to aim ourselves in the right direction, a new direction, not leaving it all behind, but not taking it all with us either. Leaving space, making room for the new, the better, the best of us.
It will be something to break out of the habit of needing to read the news early in the day and check in frequently. But I imagine that can happen slowly, too, especially as the reality of a new administration begins to take its place and we are not whip-lashed by daily lies and profane and ugly utterances from the White House, and effective measures are taken to control the pandemic are in order. That, too, will be part of our healing. It’s as if the pandemic has been telling us how broken we are.
This morning before writing, I read about the red-spotted newt in Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s beautiful book, World of Wonders, and their instinctual knowledge of home. These amazing newts can read the stars and follow navigational patterns and electromagnetic signals with some kind of creature mojo and always return to their ancestral home. I believe we know our way home, too, and can return there if we follow our instinctual knowledge of love and kindness and generosity of spirit.
Of course we’ve a long way to go and a very bumpy ride ahead of us. So let’s buckle up and enter the day. Soon the heat will need to be turned on and I need to dust the vents and take down the warmer clothes. Change is coming.
So beautifully written and spot on as always, Judy. Thanks for your validatiing and uplifting words. Breathing deep exhales with you. Xoxo
Thanks, Diane. Things are definitely sunnier these days. And you are always a bright light in my day.
I am always so moved by the emotion you put on the page, but this one in particular touched me profoundly. A vision of a beautiful future! You continually inspire me.
Thank you, Marilyn, and you continually inspire me, too. Let’s just keep doing this.
But let us proceed to aim ourselves in the right direction, a new direction, not leaving it all behind, but not taking it all with us either. Leaving space, making room for the new, the better, the best of us.
This was the money shot. Thank you. And stay well.
Thank you Mary, for your comment. Let’s do this together!
Change is needed and change is coming….
A time, perhaps, for more optimism.
Welcome home Judy
“ We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”
Carlos Castaneda
Michael
Hi Michael. Thanks for stopping by. It’s been a while.
Yes! More horn honking and more work to do. But doing it with, as you say, perhaps more optimism.
“Change is coming.” And what a welcome change it is. Thank you for writing so beautifully about this historic time for women.
Thank you, MaryAnn, for stopping by and for your comment. I am delighted to share this historic time for women with you, and to share our Thursday afternoons as well.
I call her Kamala, too! What an amazing, beautiful moment. I was so emotional all day and I still am. So, so happy. Now, if we could just get you-know-who to admit he lost…
Thank you Charlotte for stopping by here and posting a comment. I think it says something that we say, “Kamala” and “Joe,” but “Trump” and “Pence.” Interesting, I just noticed that.
Let’s keep honking!
Judy,
Thank you for your thoughtful and heartfelt post.
I wept also when Biden gave his speech of acceptance. We are so much better off as a nation and as people now that our election has been decided. We can all breathe a united sigh of relief and start healing. This will be a kinder, gentler administration and one that is determined to actually be “for the people.”
Arlene Kosakoff
Hey there, Arlene, thank you for your comment; it’s always so good to encounter you here. We still have much work to do, but let’s do it sounding our horns loud and long. And oh won’t it be nice not to be distracted every day by some new outrage. Blessings on all of us.
Thanks, Judy,
Change is definitely in the air, as it has been for years. Let’s put on happy faces, honk our horns, and heal ourselves and our country.
Yesterday I hunkered down with David Reed’s book, Uphill and Into the Wind. It is an homage to the First Peoples of our nation and a paean to the beauty of America.
Stay safe, stay healthy and enjoy being home.
Thanks, Janice. Yes. Change and aren’t we glad to be part of it! Keep honking. Oh and YES to David Reed’s beautiful new book.
Beautifully expressed, my friend. All the feels. Thank you for acknowledging this moment in history, and especially the role of women in restoring honor and decency to government. And women of color, in particular, for voting in record numbers. So beautiful to behold!
Thank you, Steve. Yes, all the feels and I’m still feeling! We have much to do, but perhaps we won’t be so distracted now and we can get on with it. You know I don’t usually write about such as this, but this–THIS–caused me to cross over the line.
Judy,
The day before each time you post I wonder when I will see the new blog entry. Awesome.
Yes the north is happy to see Biden too. Our PM Trudeau congratulated him before things have been made official (aka don’t get messed up). Biden is a good man who will take your country a long way. Yayyyyy.
I wonder why they always cite the nationality of a person, or their stage of life (the elderly man)? Those adjectives reign supreme up here too.
So now we can relax and get back to our writings!
Hi Linda,
Yes, those adjectives to cite the nationality, etc. But I did want to use them with Kamala Harris because her becoming Vice President-elect is notable for so many reasons, not least among them that she is a woman(!), but also the US has been/is so lacking in its (our) inclusion of all our citizens in all our affairs, that note must be taken when something so remarkable is achieved. Oh for the day when it is not remarkable, but who we are.
Oh, and PS I truly dislike “elderly” and “senior” and “golden years”!