We met at Nanc's house to discuss the election and watch The Boys of '36. We snacked and then ate popcorn that Jo provided as we watched the documentary. Thanks to Kathy Day for also helping with providing the food and beverages. Annie, Christe, Ellen, Jo, Judy, Kathy, Linda, Liz, and Nanc attended.
 |
| Just after sunset from Nanc's |
Jo read some positive actions that we can take rather than letting negativity and disappointment take over our lives.
Pema Chödrön famously introduced many of us to the notion of shenpa, which she defines as biting the hook.
When someone leaves us, we may bite the hook of grasping. When something unfair happens, we may bite the hook of rage. When we are disappointed, we may bite the hook of numbness. What would it look like to not bite the hook? What is non-shenpa?
If you ever had an interest in exploring this answer, now would be a great time to begin. A giant hook with a massive comb-over has just been lowered from bizarro-world. I don’t mean to make light or demean anyone for their political views, but, let’s face it, we have elected an inexperienced, vengeful person to office. Now what? Here are a few suggestions.
1. Rather than scanning the environment for confirmation or denial of your worst fears, scan it for someone who could use a kind word or glance. It can be that simple. Whether we are swinging at the hook-end of the grasping, aggression, or numbness line, there is one sure way off. It is to help someone else who may also be swinging. This is a really good thing to do for others, but mainly it is good for yourself. When we are afraid, we feel powerless. But generosity is a gesture of power.
2. Remember that nothing is ever, ever as good as you hope or as bad as you fear. One day at a time. One. Day. And beyond this, one thought, one moment, one heartbeat. This, by the way, is why we practice meditation which is not a life-hack to become more awesome. Rather, it teaches you how to meet your experience on the spot, without embellishment, fully and courageously. Meditation is not actually (or solely) a stress-reduction technique. It is a path of fierce warriorship. Please practice if you can.
3. Reestablish dominion over your world. A friend of mine sent out an email this morning that suggested we each elect ourselves president. Your life–your home, family, friends, workplace, body, abilities–are your kingdom. You have full rulership here. What can you do for your world? What or who needs tending? What needs to be added or eliminated? This is a time to look squarely at the piece of land that you are responsible for. Because all bets are off, we could feel encouraged to focus on what is really essential. Most important, we could focus on removing every obstacle that stands between us and doing our true work in the world. We need you to own your brilliance, stop pulling punches, and offer your gift.
4. Express your love for your brothers and sisters. On one level, this means recognizing the vast tribe that feels as you may right now — absolutely certain that there is no place for hatred, racism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, homophobia, or religious intolerance in America or anywhere. Reach out to each other. Affirm your friendship. But please don’t stop there. You could also recognize the vast tribe that does not feel as you do right now, your countrymen and women. I’m not suggesting that we get all snugly with hate-mongers, but to acknowledge that we are all Americans. This is our country. People fought very hard to give it to us and to protect it. If we seek to excise from our minds and hearts 50% of our brothers and sisters, we add innumerable steps to the path out.
5. Finally, this: feel what you feel. As best you can, don’t pretend you aren’t scared, sad, angry, and shocked. No problem. What is a problem is to avoid what you feel and then, as humans tend to, work it out on someone else by vilifying them. This is very dangerous. We stand at the intersection of tolerance and hatred as I type this. I’m not saying there aren’t terrible people who shouldn’t be held accountable for the terrible things they have done. But biting the hook of grasping, aggression, or numbness prevents us from seeing clearly the best course of action to take our country back.
~ Susan Piver, "The Open Heart Project"
Next Meeting: Holiday Gathering
Location: Julie's
Date: Friday, December 9th, 2016
Time: 6:30pm
Upcoming meetings:
January 12, 2017 About Grace by Anthony Doerr at Christe's
February 9, 2017 Between the World and Me by Ta-nehisi Coates at Annie's
March 9, 2017 TBA
April 13, 2017 TBA
May 11, 2017 TBA
June 8, 2017 TBA at Linda's
Books we've read so far:
January 2014 - Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
February 2014 - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
March 2014 - Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
April 2014 - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
May 2014 - The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
June 2014 - Breaking Free by Marilyn Sewell
July 2014 - The Orphan Train by Kristina Baker Kline
August 2014 - The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
September 2014 - Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
October 2014 - The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
November 2014 - The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
December 2014 - No book. Holiday gathering.
January 2015 - No book. Watched The Book Thief
February 2015 - The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
March 2015 - Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne
April 2015 - The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
May 2015 - The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
June 2015 - The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
July 2015 - Still Alice by Lisa Genova
August 2015 - The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
September 2015 - Ruby by Cynthia Bond
October 2015 - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
November 2015 - No book. Watched To Kill a Mockingbird
December 2015 - No book. Holiday gathering.
January 2016 - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
February 2016 - Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
March 2016 - Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
April 2016 - Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie
May 2016 - Jewelweed by David Rhodes
June 2016 - One Woman's River by Ellen Kolbo McDonah
July 2016 - Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
August 2016 - Deep Water Passage by Ann Linnea
September 2016 - This Road I Ride by Juliana Buhring
October 2016 - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
November 2016 - No book. Watched The Boys of '36
