When I got up it was dark and raining. I went outside to clean up dog poop because I needed something to do. The DJ was playing all songs about the election, and it seemed like every word meant something more. I sat at the light and watched the rain, a light, feminine rain, and thought for a minute it looked pretty but then it turned to a hard, hateful rain: the kind of rain that seems like it will never stop. It sounded like I had my head in a chimney the way the rain beat the hood, a scattered roar, the sound of fire choking on itself. Before I got through the light I caught myself crying and thought how funny, how “Seattle,” sobbing in my car like that. I took Charlotte to the store later for a baguette and let her buy some Jell-O. We saw a kid I recognized her age and I said hi to him but Charlotte was embarrassed, she said he’s weird—I said he needs help and she said yeah, a LOT of help and I said then be kind to him, really kind. That’s the difference between us Charlotte, be a leader. It’s like the last Grateful Dead concert Loren said, Mickey Hart came out after the applause and the last thing he said was just Be Kind, that’s all he said.
Image borrowed from the Tarot, the nine of Swords.
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Categories: inspiration, musings
Bill Pearse 
Now we must continue to look for opportunities to share those messages and lead by example. Well done Dad!
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Thanks Ann, good to hear from you. Thank god for the best coast, at least.
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yes and that is everything
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Good word kind better deed
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Amen.
But for the life of me I can’t think of one election song.
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No, no singing. The day the music died.
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Urgh. Hearts are breaking and quaking up here.
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You didn’t vote him in! Though we could bomb Canada, why not?
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Yeah, but we’re family. We look up to you. And as much as we like to think otherwise, the element exists here. This only encourages it.
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Ah, I see. Yeah my mom always says you and I could be brothers.
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Cleaning dog poop in the rain. Perfect summary of mood for many. One of the bright spots of the election season was you turning us onto Alexandra Petri, who recently wrote a delightful piece from the perspective of a time traveler who missed a butterfly that distracted a woman who should have written a novel that would have become Donald Trump’s favorite (and not just only) book, changing the course of history. But the butterfly distracted the woman, who went home to make dinner and play with her kids and always had an unwritten novel rolling around the back of her mind like a marble. So let’s don’t have that happen, and yes, let’s all be Kind.
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That story is incredible. She is something. A true delight, a razor sharp wit, that one, a glint in her eye. Stories rolling around like marbles, that’s sheer brill. — Bill
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I haven’t had time to put more than an epic FB status or two into words, though it’s coming. I spent yesterday trying to fight my way up through waves of grief. Not sadness, that I expected. But actual real, elephant sitting on my chest can’t breathe cried like I did when my father died grief. I wasn’t expecting that. Today the anger has set in. I hope in the coming days I can find a middle ground to work with. I’m having trouble with kind these days–not to those I need to be kind to, but to those who voted for unkind. Then I hate myself because that makes me no better than. But still. But still.
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It’s really like one of those complex grief things, for sure. Glad to see you working through it however you need to though. Must be strange from a distance. I assume you went back to Denmark? My mom (in her town in Germany) had people she doesn’t even know coming up to her holding her hands and telling her how sorry they were for her.
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What a gut punch this has been. Yesterday we had a kid yelling “white power” at another student. It has emboldened the bigots and so kindness and action must be our reaction. Let’s be kind and protective.
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You know that in the classroom. The earth, the world, isn’t a classroom though — or if it is, it shouldn’t…OK I’ll stop. Nothing more I can say on that.
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Yeah, the world is different, but I think people’s need for power is innate. We all need to be recognized in some way, or we will find a way to be recognized through negative means. We also need freedom, fun, and a sense of belonging. People who have those needs met are generally satisfied. I hope your new gig is going well Bill.
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Thanks Jon, it is: like life, no different. Except you get paid I guess. And they can let you go whenever without a warning, there’s that in common too. Bill
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For every act of hate, we need to react with love, patience, kindness – this is deeply rooted in my faith.
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There you go. “Since the war I smile more” I used to say, which sounds odd, but has some truth in it.
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