So even though March, April, and May were stressful in their own ways, does it seem like June has just gotten ugly? I'm having a hard time figuring out what I want to say. Most of my talking and processing has been done offline. I miss the days of the internet being full of funny memes and people/groups lending support to people stuck at home. Now it seems like everyone wants to have a capital D Discussion but no one has time to actually listen to each other. So I'm spending much less time online and much more time in my garden and with my kids.
That said, I came across a quote (in a book about first alien contact, weirdly enough) that keeps coming back to me:
"It's so much harder to actually define yourself and work to imagine the best possible future than it is to tear down others' ideas."
I like that. Fear and anger are valid and have their place, but what I want to see is a serious conversation about what we want for our city, state, country, world when it comes to whatever the hot topic of the day is. What do you want our teachers and our schools to have? What do we expect of parents and families when it comes to their kids' educations and what is in the best interest of everyone to have available for all children? What is the role of the police and what isn't? What are we okay giving up in terms of privacy or convenience for public health and what protections do we want to see in place to preserve those things?
When you're ready to have those conversations, let me know. I have some ideas.
Until then, I'll be watching old movies with my kids and trying to get past this writer's block so I can document the great things about June so far: Miriam's birthday, visits from family, and the most delicious peach jam.
