So much has happened since my last Perspective. As I thought about what to write and say, innumerable topics ran through my head. I usually write about topics that connect to my work, highlighting issues of interpersonal power-based and gender-based violence in our community, country, and culture. That should help me narrow it down, right?
I could talk about the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the plight of women and lgbtqia+ folks left behind. I could talk about the ongoing trial against R Kelly and white supremacy in the movement to end sexual violence. I could talk for hours about the new Texas abortion ban. I can feel a weight pressing down on my shoulders and an anxious pit forming in my stomach just recording these words.
And then I hear the splash of a heron landing on the pond in front of me. I see the early morning steam rising off the water and rising off my coffee. I feel the sun dancing on my cheeks. And I am reminded that we can do hard things. We can face a breaking world and we can fix it.
But we can also rest. We're allowed to find beauty in the world around us. In fact, we have to. We won't be able to save the world if we don't remember why it is worth saving. So if you are feeling burnt out and burnt up, step back. Find a place, or a poem, or a person that makes you feel grounded. Find a space where your soul can rest. The fight will still be waiting when you're ready.
I'm Lynnea Erickson Laskowski and that's my perspective.
