In Solidarity

It is not easy right now. It is not easy for a lot of us. I have taken on something really hard – building a custom-made womenswear production model. (I have been in the thick of this, which is why I am late with your Weekly Letter.) I will have an update on the muslin Riding Jackets next week.
 
Over the weekend I was commiserating with my friend Muriel on how some days feel light and hopeful and others – same life, same person seem like a hopeless mess of problems and how crazy these two totally different takes on life are.  And she says “Its not crazy…its just life.” And we talked it over further. There are actually plenty of good things to be concerned about, right there alongside the hope and the good stuff. It seems we are in transition – the climate, our work, how we relate to our world and each other, which makes the contrasts between these two takes on life more stark.
 
Women have their own special, additional transition taking place. We have been told that what we bring to the table isn’t valuable. We have been told that we are too emotional. We have been paid less for the same work, given the menial jobs, been subtly told that being a Mom is some low level work. Some days we may look around – see women abusers in power, see the loss of beautiful life on Earth, hear about another school shooting, worry about the survival of natural wonders we hold dear, struggle to live a life that will be less harmful because it is less profitable and therefore – a struggle. It is OK to have hard days on our way to making the world better, to getting the power and respect we disserve, knowing that no one is going to just hand us the money, or the authority, or the plush job, or the Congressional seat, or ask us if we’d be more comfortable in the corner office. We are going to have to work like hell for it. Harder than the next person and maybe be a Mom or whatever our extra work is that we take on as women. And there are going to be bad days. And that’s OK. Being a human is just not easy. Being a human woman is usually harder.
 
So my wise woman lesson for the week is that it is OK to have really hard days. The thing that makes it better, actually A LOT better is to connect with other people about our shared struggle that is being a person in this world. My yoga studio has institutionalized this so that it happens every week, which has permeated my thinking throughout the week when I feel frustrated or sad or angry. I know it sounds basic, we’ve heard it before, but when we honestly connect with each other and share things we are struggling with, it starts to feel OK. We are not alone in it. We are actually ALL IN IT TOGETHER, all the time – whether or not we are aware of each other’s struggles. I shared this with friends at different parts of the week – which led to more sharing – which led to more solidarity.
 
So if you struggle like the rest of us with the rocky waves of life – go out and find a community of people to share your struggle with. This connection with people on our shared life path craziness is where we find the grace in our messy, endlessly challenging lives.
 
In gratitude,
 
Reid