Honoring Our Beloved Dead, Serving Up a Silent Supper
November 1, 2024
“Peace, in its most fundamental form, is the connection of one human spirit to another.” ~ Desmond Tutu
We have just waded through troubled waters to arrive at a shore that may be like home or may be like hades, depending on our values and convictions. After our recent election we find half of Americans grief stricken and the other half rejoicing. This radical change has frightened many, filling them with anxiety. Many feel rudderless.
Project 2025 contains bone chilling rhetoric that should make everyone with love for their neighbor deeply concerned. This portfolio of transformation affect all Americans as it suggests the potential for such change as we have never known in a democratic country.
Marginalized groups will be most affected. These groups include but are not limited to your friends and neighbors who are women, the BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ communities, immigrants and DACA recipients, people who voted blue, people who are considered “the other” by the new majority voters and many more who felt their hope for an equitable future go up in flames.
This is not our first rodeo. Some of our Elders watched the unfolding of a similar situation prior to World War II. I myself as a child was drilled on sheltering from nuclear war in elementary school. We drilled for tornados, other severe weather events and nuclear war. The Elders remember those nations that isolate and persecute anyone who is different.
I am not suggesting that all of this may come to pass. However, I am suggesting that we need to ensure we do not end there. We must be able to wade through these waters, find our peace and still strive to make humanistic progress in a world that is beginning to look like the film “Idiocracy.” I am basing this assessment recent Presidential Cabinet nominees. It is shaping up in frightful fashion.
My job is not politics. My job is to find a way to wellness for my readers. I believe being honest with ourselves and our condition is essential to make forward progress. Check out my latest newsletter for a litany of resilience-building, stress-relieving, grounding and peace-bringing methods to support your self-care. If you are not subscribed, please sign up by sending me an email with your name, preferred email and physical address (required now by law) and I will sign you up! Each month there is some focus on wellness. While we are here, let’s look at a few approaches to bring a little calm to ourselves and that we can share with those we love.
Earth Bathing, walking outdoors, meditating under the pine trees, earthing (walking on the earth) and breathing in fresh air are all healing. Try to get outside daily, even if only for a few minutes, it does the soul good and is evidence-based to relieve stress, anxiety and to improve mood.
Mindful meditation for even a few minutes allows you to restore emotional balance, relax, de-stress and emerge ready to face what is required of you with newfound resilience. This also works with guided imagery. Check out Belleruth Naparstek’s collection of guided meditations available on Amazon in her healthjourney’s collection. Especially good for this era are “Relaxation and Wellness,” and “Healing Trauma,” by Ms. Naparstek.
Create a playlist of music that is healing for yourself (I have a little Bob Dylan on as I write, after all, I am an old social justice warrior!). Create your list keeping in mind you want to generate a little joy. Movement is also helpful in building resilience and relieving stress and anxiety. Try dancing to your playlist, especially with a fur baby or beloved human.
Pet your cat. Curl up with a good book; one that can take you away from the insanity. Get plenty of rest and eat foods that enrich your health, not worsen your physical self. Too much fat and sugar can be destructive while fruit and vegetables, lean proteins and healthy snacks can keep your mind clear and your mood improved.
For your spiritual side, turn to an inclusive and loving spiritual community that welcomes all people and worships with love for all living things. When you leave the doors of this place of worship, carry that love to the outside. It does you a world of good to help others in any way you can.
Remember, the planet and this country belong to everyone, not just the privileged few. Be an ally to the oppressed. Stand your ground safely and inclusively. Protect yourself, friends and families, but not with guns and ammo. Rather, be aware of your surroundings, keep your cameras on outdoors and phones handy. Public places can be volatile places. Stay safe but stay loving.
As we enter this season of love and light, be mindful that from October to January almost every major religion and culture has a holiday that is wrapped in love, remembrance, sharing, gifting and honoring the better part of who we are as humans. Wrap the end of our year in this love and spread the spirit of the season. Let your intention be to carry this light through the upcoming years for the sake of yourself and all of us.
Reach out if you have comments, questions or need an electronic hug!
Yours in well-being,
Sandra (Sandy) Place
