Way before the election results, I had booked up a bunch of outings with friends, going to gigs and hitting up artistic events. And, wow, I am so glad I did!
A certain amount of this is just autumn in the Bay Area. Halloween is at least a month long, and that kicks in just after the school year starts, with all the events that entails, and then we roll into the holidays. Even in normal years, this is a busy time.
But a prevailing theme amongst activists I follow is the reiteration of creating community, gathering together, and not isolating with one's own worry and fear. And I bumbled into a preset schedule that's kept me mingling, kept the conversations going, allowed opportunities to dance it out and give each other hugs and strategize for what comes next.
In the aftermath of this extremely stupid electoral result, and the onslaught of chaos we're already enduring in the mere weeks that have followed, it's been really awesome to be out with people who inspire me, and to be reminded that human history is made of endurance through awful chapters, during which we still make art, still find love, and muddle our way through.
I was really afraid of getting left behind on Baby Island, alone and overwhelmed with exhaustion as I tried to figure out our new family configuration. That's what I muddled through before, alongside the horrors of Trump Round One. So I aggressively packed my itinerary with events that lifted me up, and after the baby is in bed, many nights I'm out in the world living my own life, thanks to my lovely husband, helpful friends, and excellent babysitters. (Baby Island is also a really lovely refuge right now, full of tender moments and warm snuggles, but I don't want to be marooned.)
It matters more than ever now. Last night, I was out at a friend's show that was beautiful, cathartic, and open to grief and healing. It was a date night, and we brought friends who were new to the crowd. I hugged people I've known for half my life now, let the performers surprise me, and we closed with a powerful message from the event's producer about finding the commonality of life and unity despite everything.
So, it's all serious, but we still need to play. We need to find each other in the mess. That is how we transcend the worst of it all, and cultivate the creativity that lifts us out of the muck.
Go support your local artists, spend your money on live events, and embrace the moment as well as each other. Time is short, and history is long. I hope to see you on a dance floor soon.
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring