Friends,
There’s a lot of talk about resilience these days. We know we need it to endure the fierce storms of life that we are confronted with. The news coming out in the week since the inauguration has been devastating and will likely continue that way. Resilience is a combination of strength and flexibility. To build resilience in ourselves is to build these same qualities in ourselves. To that end, I’ve put together an ABC list for building the resilience we all need right now.
A is for Awaken.
Try waking up each day with a sense of gratitude for being alive, for the rising sun, the cycle of night to day to night again, a cycle that happens without any effort on your part. It helps if you get a good night’s sleep. Don’t doomscroll before bedtime. Don’t start your day that way either. Start the day by making room for joy in your life. Before you do anything else, notice simple pleasures. Savor them. The smell of your morning brew rising from your tea cup or coffee mug, the feel of warm water flowing over your skin when you shower, your breath flowing through your nose and lungs. The good feelings generated by a few moments of gratitude and joy can help carry you through the day, whatever happens.
B is for Be Aware.
Stay informed. Those intent on destruction want you ignorant. Find your trusted sources for true reporting of what’s happening.Personally, I subscribe to historian Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter and The Contrarian, a news publication started by a former Washington Post Columnist and a former White House ethics czar. Be aware of your own mental and emotional capacity for the news. You don’t need to know everything, but you also don’t want to be caught unaware.
C is for Connect.
Connect with people who share your values and your vision for what our world can be. Networks of mutual aid, care, and protection are crucial in times like these. Remember, there are more people who voted against this administration than those who voted for it. Together we can do more than anyone of us alone can do.
Buildings that survive earthquakes, fires, and hurricanes survive because they were built to survive. Our Unitarian Universalist faith was built for times like these. Practicing the ABC’s may not change what’s happening, but it can help us live with more gratitude, joy, and resilience.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
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