Our Soft Mammal Bodies in a Crumbling Empire

Not gonna lie, friends, Empire’s got me down. I can metabolize my grief until I can’t and maybe the Supreme Court on top of everything else has just been a little bit too much for me to metabolize in the last 5 or so days and so today I just couldn’t.

I’ve been staying up too late. Drinking too much coffee. Scrolling the doom and witnessing the collapse. I mean, Among other things, but these are the places I see Empire most affecting my actions which affects how I move through the world .

This morning I took my tired and soft mammal body to the woods for a walk in the rain. In my pajamas even. Returning myself to nature to forest bathe and listen to the rain and breathe in the sweet wet air smelling of earth and plants was more urgent than a bra or real clothes. Maybe it was my first (20th?) step in becoming the weird neighborhood witch lady.

On my walk I saw a round baby blue jay fall onto the path and stumble and tumble down a small hill, not yet able to fly. I saw its big momma blue jay swoop to a branch above and squawk encouragement to her little blue babe with feather tufts on its head. I watched it hop and tumble itself back into the leaves and plants off the path, trying so hard to fly but just not quite getting off the ground. I imagined it regrouping and gathering its courage and finding its strength while its momma called to it “I love you! Keep going!”

My tiny forest walk was a regroup and a gathering. A reminder that nature does what it does, blue jays are out here doing their blue jay things, just like the bunnies and the bowls and the chipmunks and the bees, and there is no one to swoop in to save it. It regroups and it gathers all the time and so must we. If empire has got you down my friends and fellow grievers, it is ok. Regroup and gather yourself.

And remember, as always, if you need to hear it from outside yourselves: I love you, Keep going.