2011

2011 was a tough year. I spent weeks in an ICU, we closed our business, short-sold our house, went months without income, moved our kids to a new school… the list goes on. So many stressors happened simultaneously. Everything we worked for was gone. It didn’t matter how careful or thoughtful we had been. I was embarrassed.

Our people never shamed us. They treated us with dignity even when meeting practical needs. Things would appear.. randomly, anonymously. Food. Gift cards. Someone paid our power bill. We tried to conceal our needs, but somehow they always knew. They taught me that community observes unspoken needs with respectful care, and responds accordingly.

Our nation was in a recession – the first for our generation of young adults. There were many travelers on our road. Each had their own unique griefs. Thank you for not judging mine.

The craziest thing about 2011 is that I mostly remember the good. Every smile, every laugh, every moment of peace was richer because it fought through miles of dirt to reach the sun. Who cares if we walked a lot because we couldn’t afford to do anything else. Those walks taught us how to breathe. And that’s how it goes. Almost systematically, each hard is somehow (miraculously?) overshadowed by good. Not stupid, hollow, fakely positive good. True good. It didn’t happen right away. It was instilled over time through things like space for grief, the healing balm of simple, hope that ‘hard’ wouldn’t last forever, and visibility of beauty-in-the-midst.

Our nation is facing another season of hard. We sense its presence but none of us knows its exact contents. It’s unfortunate that we’ve been polarized for so long. That social distancing can enhance social disparities. And that (at a time when we need each other the most) prevention tactics are so diverse. We were designed for community. We must find ways to bridge isolation. Bridge fear. Bridge differences. We are ALWAYS, ALWAYS stronger together.

You helped me survive 2011. Show me how to help you.

Laura