Hope Grows
I’m not sure about your corner of the world, but here the light is returning in ways that are inspiring a lift in both mood and outlook. Fall-planted bulbs are springing up. Fruit trees are starting to burst into bloom. All the hacked-back kitchen herbs on my patio are sending up brave leaves again.
And not a moment too soon. This green explosion of life arrives in such welcome contrast to headlines of late.
Even in the Deluge
Maybe you feel it too—the awareness that there is so little we can control. Offensive actions by the powerful ultra-rich are like a torrential storm inundating our senses and flooding our ability to respond. The reality is that we can control almost nothing except where we put our thoughts: Death or life. Despair or hope. Fear or courage.
That’s why I’ve decided to show up in person to the No Kings protest this weekend. The skeptic in me would say it doesn’t matter. I know this symbolic act is a drop in the proverbial bucket.
But as Marrey P., our Social Media Team Captain, recently said to me, “If you’re putting out a fire, you need a full bucket. And that means that every drop counts.”
Every Drop Counts
Being in a crowd standing for something matters. Showing up matters. And not just because of the strength and solidarity that come from being in a group of so many like-minded souls, but because so many others cannot show up. Not safely, anyway. Not yet.
Being counted in other ways matters. Calling. And writing. And voting. And donating. This week’s Checklist shares a wide array of ways you can participate this weekend without going in person.
But here’s the thing: It takes discipline to nourish the belief that our small actions matter at a time when only Big Money seems to command center stage. That’s why putting our focus on what we can do matters so much.
Look Below the Surface
Democracy might seem dead and in tatters right now. But it isn’t. Like that hacked-back mint plant on my patio, its lifelessness is only an illusion. Despite being covered in detritus, its roots are alive.
Alive and well. Because of us.
What I see springing up outside reminds me of the infinite and generative potential of human nature. So, let’s turn our backs on despair and choose hope. Let’s acknowledge death, and then truly, fully live. Let’s dispel fear and choose buckets full of courage.
May you find that the beauty and promise of spring bring you courage to do the next right thing.
With you in solidarity,
Jen Hofmann
Founder and Director
AmericansofConscience.com