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Thank you for these words before Tuesday in the USA. Iā€™m holding on to hope. See you on the other side! šŸ’™

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I'll be here. Always here. Here's to hope.

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Just beautiful. The hope you show and bring before us. I get it. And Iā€™m already beyond Tuesdayā€¦ Into every life come challenges that seem impossible at the start. Then that human quality of resilience kicks in and we go to work on the resolution. We start by breaking goals into smaller chunks; being prepared to pivot, reframing the outcome; remain in community; and celebrate the small wins. I remember a quote from my youth that has often framed my attitude toward lifeā€™s challenges. It was from a speech I heard during the civil rights movement in the 1960ā€™s. ā€œHope isnā€™t a denial of what is, but a belief that ā€˜what is nowā€™, is not all ā€˜what can beā€™. You can recognize somethingā€™s wrong, but also that itā€™s not the end of the story. And you act on that.ā€ So simple and direct. One doesnā€™t need passion to make things better, just sense-ability and a willingness to act.

When my partner went into surgery for a massive stroke in October of 2015, a nurse came out to update me on their condition. She was kind with a soft voice, but her words were clearly trying to prepare me for the worst. When she was done, I must have looked like my world was crashing down (as it was), and she asked me if I wanted a hug. I donā€™t know where the words came from, but I remember that moment as if it just happened: ā€œNo thank you, I will cling to hope. There is always hope.ā€ That became our battle cry since then.

My partner is still with us today, albeit significantly disabled. We have carved out a ā€œnew normalā€ life since their injury that is shared in an ongoing positive spirit. And much has happened since then with other challenges to health, the family dynamic, and even where we hang our hat. But we move forward, together still. I wrote the following haiku story during the first months of their recovery in 2015, and I think it adds the perspective of hope beyond the world we know now, a new normal, still beautiful and worthy of our efforts to live our lives well.

Calendars do lie (2015)

Calendars do lie

They assure many future days

Life gives no promiseĀ 

Hope springs eternal

If you forget fear and time

The waters will flow

Mountains do not move

But hands and feet do wonders

One rock at a time

A light in the dark

Casts no shadows only hope

If you turn to it

I am here today

I am the glue that ever binds

An unbroken bond

Where we hang our hat

Canā€™t always be the same spot

Find another nail

Walk with me a while

A short while or a lifetime

One step is progress

Where we want to be

Is not always where we are

So we carry on

Life gives no promise

But grants us all, strength and will

There is always hope

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author

As usual just a stunning and staggeringly beautiful addition to this community. Always you show up. Thank you, and know how much peace I find in it.

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founding

ā€œIā€™ll see you on the other side, no matter what comes.ā€ This line made me cry. I donā€™t know how we go continue living with one of these outcomes. But the thought that youā€™ll still be here either way, making poetry and being your silly self, was a relief.

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I will always be here, always silly, always doing what I can to keep that little spark of hope alive. I promise.

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ā€œI have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folks that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.ā€

Perhaps we are all in need of a few Hobbits to tell us the sun will raise again?

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I know I do.

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author

I'll be your hobbit, I'll tell you it will. Samwise to your Frodo.

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Thank you. Much needed wisdom. Holding onto hope and envisioning light in the days ahead.

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author

Ahh, 24 hours. We can do this. We can.

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As a Canadian living in Guatemala, I know that the stakes are not as high for me personally. But as a human being on this planet that intrinsically holds us all together and makes us one whether we choose to accept it or not, I indeed have hope. Not just for my neighbours and the outcome after Tuesday, but all for all of us. Because if Iā€™m honest, I had been lacking that hope as of late and it was dimming my light. There is a lot of darkness out there right now. And if we look at the history of our species, we kind of always, have been a bit of a collective asshole; to each other, the planet, and every single species that we have come across. And that said, even though we continue to be jerks to each other, we are getting better! As a species we are collectively more aware and more empathetic and at least a good portion cry out against the atrocities we see in front of us. So this gives me hope. Though we are racing against own self destruction in the evolution of our growth, I really hope we can find a balance that doesnā€™t include us having to go through a post apocalyptic stage. Sure, they make for good tv, but The Road is still the scariest movie I have ever seen and itā€™s scary because itā€™s true. But back to hope. I believe in hope! I think that we can all shine a bit brighter and that light can help others also see hope! So true are Mr Rogerā€™s words: look for the helpers. Better yet, become the helpers!

Iā€™m rooting for you guys up there and really hope that no matter the outcome, that people can find a way to remember what holds us all together instead of focusing on our differences. And if not, hey! I always need volunteers down here on our farm in the jungle!

PS this song goes well with that letter:

https://open.spotify.com/track/2LnQWcSKw8lBxMwn8VsPvw?si=djPSWZHIQ1KpS9VAP1g1hg&context=spotify%3Aplaylist%3A6e77GYHD83M0gkYiVqzUag

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Here's to the ferocious return of your light, no longer dimmed. Here's to your spirit that deserves to glow. I think we're on the other side of this period of such hatred and divide, and I cannot wait to see where we go once it's all behind us. Here's to being BETTER, no matter what comes.

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founding

More people voted for Kelly or Justin than in an actual election.

Let that sink in.

You don't get to whinge if you don't have your say.

Any one who doesn't vote is really telling on themselves.

To choose not to engage in a democratic right is a choice & a privilege.

Making change is easier if you are part of the system that you want to dismantle.

Best of luck, Northern Pals!

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author

We'll take all the luck we can get. Here's to hope, here's to the fighting for the change we need.

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I voted today. Holding on to hope with you & I will see you on the other side.

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Thank you for your light, Tyler, for your light and hope ā€¦ yes, see you on the other side come what may.

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Listening to this after the fact ... feeling grief and a dizzying, "what do we do next?"

I'll do the laundry. Take a shower, as I have no clock to wind. The sun is out on a warm fall day. My allergies are running rampant. So too is my hope.

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