“Okay,” the voice said, “you want to be a Joy Warrior, do you? Well then, take this! See what you can do.”
After the chemical bomb was set off in East Palestine, Ohio, and its cloud drifted over my nearby Pennsylvania house, it took two weeks for me to get my bearings and begin to comprehend what had happened. And I do mean ‘begin.’ The impact and repercussions of it have significantly altered my life, and the lives of countless others. In fact, I noticed today that I’m starting to think of time as “Before” and “After” now. That’s how big a deal it is.
Once I realized that I was still standing, I decided the best thing I could do was to share what I’m experiencing as authentically as I can. I’ll start here by admitting that I’m still in shock. And I’ll also say right up front that I don’t intend to bother you with the politics of it. I am saying that I think it might be interesting (and for me, healing) to share some of my personal experiences and processes as I find my way in this strange new world. Hey, it feels like this, and like that, and sometimes I notice that I . . . that kind of thing, and what it might mean about us all. See what it’s like to take the Joy Warrior test as I find my way through this strange, changed world.
I started putting it into words here on my blog a week ago in a piece I wrote about being at the wetlands on the day the trains were still. I call it “Did They Know?”
Privately, I call my daily contributions to my blog “Love Notes.” They’re the heart of my Notes from the Woods, and I tuck these Sunday Letters here, too. (Freely share the link with your pals, by the way.)
I’m so happy to be writing to you today. I always am, but especially today. Knowing that you who are my subscribers expect to see my letter in your Sunday email let me weave a thread of continuity through my days. My daily posts do that, too. “Normal” things. It’s good to practice as many of those as you can, to bring your good habits and customs along as you walk through your days. They give you a sense of stability when the rest of the world is in flux. That’s one thing I’ve noticed.
See, I think of what I’m going through as an echo of what everybody else is going through, too. You’re going through unsettled times as much as I am. Everybody’s life has it’s trauma. It comes with the ride. We’re in this fix together, dear humans. Let’s remember that, regardless of circumstances, and be kind. I know that much. Not a whole lot more right now. But kindness? Always. Always.
You matter you know. Smile some this week. Okay?
Warmly,
Susan
Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay