This is gorgeous. Thank you for sharing it. I keep reminding myself of Joanna Macy’s words that a broken open heart can hold the whole universe - and what else are hearts for? It’s a way of minding, I think. Or mending. Or witnessing. A rough wisdom, but a wisdom for our times 💚
I needed this message today. My mother's family is Ukrainian, my husband is Jewish, I live in France (which recently had terribly divisive elections), I greatly fear a second Trump presidency for many reasons, and I see the environment gradually falling apart. I realize that I need to step away from the "news" to protect my heart and sanity. So I am making hummus now, and watering my balcony plants, taking care to closely observe how each one is faring. And I am re-reading Barbara Tuchman's "The March of Folly", because it allows me to view idiocy at a time-distance.
You may be aware that the tactic of depriving people of objective facts, substituting half-truths and outright lies, to the point of not being able to believe anything, is straight out of the Kremlin's playbook, which continues to be actively at work. Social media and AI are providential tools for malign, disruptive forces. But I can't think about this now.
Thank you so much for this -- the beautiful quote from Ros Gay, your gorgeous writing and honesty and the total resistance to the binary -- "a new official military tactic is to target young people. I don’t really care which young people we’re talking about or where they’re from or who they pray to, so please: let’s not split hairs." x
It's the small, simple, beautiful things that keep us going in this big, complicated, and at times ugly world. Creation takes care of us and we take care of it, that's why gardens are so perfect for healing.
I hope you find your way back to your veggie patch, and back to peace.
I live in Milwaukee, so this week is going to be complicated logistically and hard to take emotionally. My husband and I had considered leaving town for the week, as many have chosen to do to be spared the firehose of toxic rhetoric (and who can blame them)? But in the end, we decided to stay. Coming upon your words this morning—words that do not minimize the difficulty of being in this time—has been grounding. I will weather this week by minding my heart and tending (and mending) the place where I live.
Stepping away from the news, has, at times been necessary - a survival tactic. It’s worked. I still find it impossible to reconcile with the pathology of the right. And to know those people in my personal life. Through my work I’ve also come to know some people very intimately and have experienced how no amount of empathy or understanding or open mindedness (on my part) moves the needle at all. This is what leads me to apathy and hard heartedness.
I couldn’t have loved this more than I do - it is timely, it s perfect, it is resonant and it is painfully honest. I present you these truths inno particular order, so I’ll stop by sending you love and hugs
Tending the Heart... and in doing so we tend our relationships and communities... we tend love, compassion and healing for all those around us. If we can each manage this very BIG small thing. Oh!
As many have these past couple weeks, I have been obsessively engaged in civic discourse. While I continue to be optimistic, I do sometimes feel weary and when the weariness comes, I wrap myself in beauty. Visual art, poetry, female French jazz vocalists are a new favorite, plant life, summer fruit, heirloom tomatoes. It is all tending to my heart.
Tending to my heart is metaphoric, but it is also a physical reality. I am preparing for heart surgery, making it critical to my physical well-being. I have been reminded these past weeks that care for my spirit is as important, that in the midst of political upheaval and uncertainty the world does go on and in that world there remains joy in art and poetry, French songstresses, gardens, and the bounty that each season brings.The joys of art, food, friendships, perfect 6 month old twins, are the things that feed my spirit and heal my body. Tend to your heart. Yes. May we all. Thank you for the message,
wise words Elissa. when i find myself judging others or a situation, i take a step back and consider what box or binary i may be invested in. check in with my beliefs (do they need to be re-evaluated? where is their origin story?) this doesn't mean i don't have core values, but as i age (i'll be 65 in september,) i find slowing down to expand is the gift of aging. that and realizing time isn't linear.
i also remind folks to be "tender and gentle with their hearts." sounds like you are being tender with yours by "minding" it.
This is gorgeous. Thank you for sharing it. I keep reminding myself of Joanna Macy’s words that a broken open heart can hold the whole universe - and what else are hearts for? It’s a way of minding, I think. Or mending. Or witnessing. A rough wisdom, but a wisdom for our times 💚
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I needed this message today. My mother's family is Ukrainian, my husband is Jewish, I live in France (which recently had terribly divisive elections), I greatly fear a second Trump presidency for many reasons, and I see the environment gradually falling apart. I realize that I need to step away from the "news" to protect my heart and sanity. So I am making hummus now, and watering my balcony plants, taking care to closely observe how each one is faring. And I am re-reading Barbara Tuchman's "The March of Folly", because it allows me to view idiocy at a time-distance.
You may be aware that the tactic of depriving people of objective facts, substituting half-truths and outright lies, to the point of not being able to believe anything, is straight out of the Kremlin's playbook, which continues to be actively at work. Social media and AI are providential tools for malign, disruptive forces. But I can't think about this now.
Thank you so much for this -- the beautiful quote from Ros Gay, your gorgeous writing and honesty and the total resistance to the binary -- "a new official military tactic is to target young people. I don’t really care which young people we’re talking about or where they’re from or who they pray to, so please: let’s not split hairs." x
As always, your writing helps to remind me not to accept things as they are and the need to constantly heal myself, and those around me.
It's the small, simple, beautiful things that keep us going in this big, complicated, and at times ugly world. Creation takes care of us and we take care of it, that's why gardens are so perfect for healing.
I hope you find your way back to your veggie patch, and back to peace.
I live in Milwaukee, so this week is going to be complicated logistically and hard to take emotionally. My husband and I had considered leaving town for the week, as many have chosen to do to be spared the firehose of toxic rhetoric (and who can blame them)? But in the end, we decided to stay. Coming upon your words this morning—words that do not minimize the difficulty of being in this time—has been grounding. I will weather this week by minding my heart and tending (and mending) the place where I live.
Take care of yourself.
Thank you, Elissa. I needed this today.
Stepping away from the news, has, at times been necessary - a survival tactic. It’s worked. I still find it impossible to reconcile with the pathology of the right. And to know those people in my personal life. Through my work I’ve also come to know some people very intimately and have experienced how no amount of empathy or understanding or open mindedness (on my part) moves the needle at all. This is what leads me to apathy and hard heartedness.
I hear you, completely. It's incredibly depressing - but I own how my heart responds, and they don't to take that from me.
Not apathy. Minding your heart…so much pain, loss. Me too.
I couldn’t have loved this more than I do - it is timely, it s perfect, it is resonant and it is painfully honest. I present you these truths inno particular order, so I’ll stop by sending you love and hugs
Love you Mimi 💗
You have captured it all perfectly.
Thank you
Tending the Heart... and in doing so we tend our relationships and communities... we tend love, compassion and healing for all those around us. If we can each manage this very BIG small thing. Oh!
Minding my heart... Thank You.
Beautiful! and so nice to see a Sarton quote, I recently re-read a few of her journals and loved them all over again.
Awesome huh?! So relevant.
Yes! It sure is.
This is why I’m in Substack. Thanks for sharing your vulnerability and isn’t tending the garden such a gift?
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
As many have these past couple weeks, I have been obsessively engaged in civic discourse. While I continue to be optimistic, I do sometimes feel weary and when the weariness comes, I wrap myself in beauty. Visual art, poetry, female French jazz vocalists are a new favorite, plant life, summer fruit, heirloom tomatoes. It is all tending to my heart.
Tending to my heart is metaphoric, but it is also a physical reality. I am preparing for heart surgery, making it critical to my physical well-being. I have been reminded these past weeks that care for my spirit is as important, that in the midst of political upheaval and uncertainty the world does go on and in that world there remains joy in art and poetry, French songstresses, gardens, and the bounty that each season brings.The joys of art, food, friendships, perfect 6 month old twins, are the things that feed my spirit and heal my body. Tend to your heart. Yes. May we all. Thank you for the message,
wise words Elissa. when i find myself judging others or a situation, i take a step back and consider what box or binary i may be invested in. check in with my beliefs (do they need to be re-evaluated? where is their origin story?) this doesn't mean i don't have core values, but as i age (i'll be 65 in september,) i find slowing down to expand is the gift of aging. that and realizing time isn't linear.
i also remind folks to be "tender and gentle with their hearts." sounds like you are being tender with yours by "minding" it.
I deeply needed to read this today. Thank you.