"naked love and defiant courage and salty grace"
cece's salty grace
“You do your absolute best to find and hone and wield your divine gifts against the dark. You do your best to reach out tenderly to touch and elevate as many people as you can reach. You bring your naked love and defiant courage and salty grace to bear as much as you can, with all the attentiveness and humor you can muster [and] pay fierce attention every moment.” ~Brian Doyle
Just yesterday in South Korea ordinary people fought against their unpopular president’s decision to declare martial law, or as historian Heather Cox Richardson wrote, “regular people doing the best they can.” After six hours of dissent, the majority of the National Assembly was able to participate in a “unanimous vote to overturn Yoon’s emergency declaration of martial law.”
Since the election many of us have been wondering, “What can I do? I’m just one person. How can I guard against the impending darkness? Will my small acts make a difference?” The citizens in South Korea proved that one voice can turn into a collective scream. We can do modest things with enormous impact.
Me? I’m attempting to walk with fierce kindness, seeing others for who they are: flawed and gorgeous humans who are also struggling to stand upright every day. I’m looking beyond who voted for whom. Instead, (and this isn’t easy) I want to understand their stories. All of us are genetically unique. We may have similar attributes, but we are as distinct as snowflakes. All deserve respect and love and dignity.
This is my journey:
Smiles. Random compliments. Waves. Active listening. Presence. Noticing. Patience. Genuine laughter. Fellowship. Sharing food. Practicing joy. Showing up.
Oh, and as Brian Doyle wrote, “naked love and defiant courage and salty grace.”
Join me?
Wednesday’s song:
Links from today’s Substack: