I had originally planned a post for today where I was going to recap this past weekend’s adventures in and around the Pioneer Valley – including celebrating the annual “Cider Days” festivities and visiting a couple of museums I’d never known existed until now. I intended to do all of that after celebrating Troy’s birthday yesterday and voting in the Presidential Election where I had submitted my ballot with a sense of both optimism and trepidation.
And then the results were announced early this morning, and suddenly sharing something upbeat and what I would have considered “fun” seemed inappropriate given the fear and heartbreak I am feeling right now as I write this.
I’ve always tried to keep ‘Coffee & Chiffon‘ light and free of conflict – save for the times in my life where I had experienced personal tragedies or injustice, or when I’m doing my annual year-end-wrap-up for the New Year. I opted to leave the doom and gloom to the 24 hour news cycles and corners of social media I rarely visited, and my life felt less burdened and stressful as a result. This was, and will continue to be, my safe space for journaling and fostering community with anyone and everyone who reads this blog regularly or has maybe stumbled upon it for the first time.
But I am, admittedly, terrified of what these next few years will bring – and I am both disheartened and disgusted at this country not only leaning into fascist ideology that is being spearheaded by a convicted felon, a con-man, an emboldened liar and a rapist – but that it’s being openly encouraged and celebrated. I am terrified for the minorities in this country, for the immigrants who have come here to seek safety and a better life for themselves and/or their families, for my friends and loved ones in the LGBTQ+ communities – and especially for women. I have a perpetual shiver running up my spine for what rights will be stripped away from women in the coming months and years.
While the candidate I voted for definitely had their share of faults, and were not perfect by any means – I at least felt a sense of hope that their policies and agendas could be adjusted and changed with enough protest and petition from the American people if needed. Now, that hope of change has been dashed completely.
I’m taking the next couple of days to process, to grieve, to feel the anger and disappointment I know so many others feel right now – and I will be back at the end of this week to try and bring this blog back to it’s regularly scheduled content.
To close out this post, I wanted to share a quote from a friend of mine – Mehran Khaghani – a comedian I knew from Boston ages ago and who, while truly very, very funny – also knows exactly what to say in times like these. He wrote the following this morning:
“Be kind today. Kinder than you think yourself capable of. Encourage. Support. Love.
You have an uncommonly busy day ahead of you. You will get through it. But prepare to give and receive more.
Shower and get pretty. Give hugs. Receive hugs. Let others be kind to you. Buy someone a coffee. Check in on folks. You may feel largely depleted right now, but you carry an inextinguishable light that only grows stronger when it fulfills its calling to uplift others. Treat this like a casual search and rescue. You have an ongoing side quest today and it is to dig people out from under the rubble of despair just by lending the occasional hand and leading with listening, understanding, compassion and warmth.
Every small act of decency matters today.”
See you all soon.
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 