Perhaps I should...

and why I don't

©Lesley Riley

Perhaps I should be writing about:

the cruelty in the world
the starving children far and near
injustice near and far
devastating weather
immigration
deportation
homelessness
joblessness
poverty
politics
corruption
the president
the funding
PBS and the Kennedy Center
education or lack thereof
global warming
mid-air crashes
mid-air misses
loneliness
terminal illness
pharmaceutical drugs
illegal drugs
unaffordable drugs
drug use
drug overdoses
drug trafficking
human trafficking
child abuse
spousal abuse
screen addiction
doom scrolling
mental health
healthcare inequity
depression
gender issues
fear
hopelessness
helplessness

Why I don’t:

While I am aware of and upset by all the issues that exist in this world (and I know this list is incomplete), I
a. Feel unqualified to write anything about these issues, especially when there are so many layers within each issue. Truth and reality are hard to discern now, and there are expert voices to turn to.

b. It is very upsetting to me to read about, watch, listen to, and dwell on these topics. As an HSP (highly sensitive person), I am easily
shaken
distressed
devastated
heartbroken
grief-stricken
appalled
horrified
sickened
disillusioned
outraged
infuriated
anguished

And I cry, I cry deeply when I hear about and subsequently dwell on these things. I stopped watching the news every day during COVID. I realized that starting my day crying and being upset was not healthy. I stopped watching all the news. I chose not to cry. Instead, I spent my mornings making what I named Fabric Poems, spreading the love and the beauty by selling them online, doing, as my Substack friend reminded me, what Iris Murdoch said, “One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats, and if some of these can be inexpensive and quickly procured so much the better.” I was making and sending out inexpensive small treats - happiness, and a jolt of much-needed joy at a time when we all needed it. I still am.

I felt and feel freer, happier, less stressed and depressed, and more creative, dwelling on art and beauty instead of the reality outside my door.

Even with social media, it is difficult not to be drawn into any or all of the issues mentioned above. I just took a break from writing this to reflect on my words and what I was trying to say. Checking my email, I clicked on this profoundly poignant post, which made me cry messy tears, and led me to this post that made me want to reconsider my stance on crying.

Crying is healthy, physically and emotionally. Focusing on the things that make you cry isn’t. I still cry, but not for long. I recognize the pain, grief, or anger, then let it go. I focus on what I do best - share beauty, wisdom, and love. At least, that’s what I try to do through my art and writing.

I felt unsure about how my thoughts would be received. I started writing this to figure out why I never consider writing about all the bad things we are surrounded by, when so many others I know are very vocal. I received a message from the Universe this morning that confirmed I was meant to write and share this.

I walked into my office and saw a book on the floor. How did that get there, I wondered. Where did it fall from, if not from the heavens? I took it as a sign I was supposed to (finally) read it. I read the Foreword before heading to my hand therapy appointment. It wasn’t until 4 hours later that I remembered it was the book I grabbed to tilt the fan upward several days ago - the fan that was moved to the bedroom last night.

Nevertheless, reading the title and finding it waiting for me this morning was divine intervention. Just the title let me know that I am on the right path - The Gift: How the Creative Spirit Transforms the World by Lewis Hyde. The book has been in print since 1983. I purchased this 2019 3rd edition, with a Foreword by Margaret Atwood, in May of this year and promptly forgot about it, putting it on the stack with all the other “To Read” books. It literally jumped out at me today. As I’ve mentioned before, if something like that happens, I take it as a sign to act upon.

My writing raises and leaves many questions unanswered for me. I hope to have them answered by the time I finish the book. At 385 pages and with deep theory, it will take a while. In the meantime, please share your thoughts, yay or nay.

Quotes of the Week

If we each nurture our own corner of joy — through kindness, colour, stillness, connection — maybe we raise the collective energy too. Maybe we make the world, bit by bit, into a place we’d love to call our own.
Amanda Ketterer

I sometimes forget it’s not a personal flaw to be unable to hold the weight of the world in one body without getting overwhelmed, flustered, weighed down.
Lisa Olivera

It feels silly to weave sentences unless they form the answers to solve the world’s heartbreak. But if anything is to be solved, it is through one another. Through generosity of spirit, the sharing of our humanity, devoid of pretense.
Caroline Donofrio

The artist appeals to that part of our being … which is a gift and not an acquisition - and, therefore, more permanently enduring.
Joseph Conrad (from the book introduction)

The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.
Robert Henri