Hopeful New Horizon

‘No mud, no lotus.’ This is one of Thich Nhat Hanh’s most profound sayings...without suffering, there cannot be happiness.

This weekend I savored every ounce of joy that came in waves. I also felt powerful stings arise that stemmed from living with four years of constant shock and downright terror...I’m realizing it is not possible to feel this level of present happiness without the last 1,460 days of anxiety and sadness that seems to have permeated into my bone marrow. This new hopeful horizon has lifted the weight from my being that I came accustomed to carrying without realizing it was becoming heavier. Even my breathing is deeper and more cleansing. This sense of relief and serenity is incredible.

As we start the real work of healing not only individually, but as a nation, I hope we can embrace the art of transforming our suffering into mindful, meaningful change...this triumph is so, so sweet, but we cannot be complacent and there is no business as usual - we have a long road ahead to defeat Covid and build a just, compassionate and equal United States. This feels possible now, there is hope in the air and these are wonderful things to celebrate before we put our noses back to the grindstone to fight the good fight.