The little girl answered, ‘But Father, that is not right. First, you must care for yourself. You must eat well, rest, be calm and be strong. You must be well and strong or else you will not be able to catch me when I need you and I will surely fall. And we will be ruined. Do you understand, my Father?’

The little girl was wise beyond her years. And the father, with tears in his eyes, said that yes, he understood. And, hand in hand, they traveled on to the next village.

My friends, so many of you are hurting. You are sad, and angry, embarrassed and even ashamed by what is happening in this country. Supposedly in our name. You are anxious and fearful. I know. Because I am sad, angry, ashamed, fearful and anxious and embarrassed, too. So many of you inspire me–with your determination, and persistence, your letters and calls and emails to anyone who can make a difference. Thank you!!! But I also hear of your inability to sleep. Or eat. Or to make it through any kind of a normal day without feeling a great, oppressive burden–of grief, of responsibility, of empathy, of care and worry for others. I totally understand. And share all those feelings.

But this is not a short race or a sprint. And if they overwhelm and break us, they win. As we resist, as we learn and understand exactly what is happening, in all its cruelty and criminality and unspeakable ignorance–if the true, best spirit of this country is to eventually prevail–we must also each take care of ourselves. Mind, body, and spirit. Each important, irreplaceable one of us. So do me a favor. Please. A very simple one. Each day, several times a day, sit and be still. By a flower, perhaps. In a favorite room. Or under a tree. And just breathe. And notice every breath. Every. Single. One. And as you breathe in, consciously breathe in ‘now.’ Breathe in ‘here.’ Breathe in calm. Breathe in belief. Breathe in trust. Breathe in gratitude. Breathe in peace. Breathe in beauty. And with each breath you breathe out, breathe out anxiety. Name it. Breathe out fear. Name it. Breathe out grief. Breathe out anger. Breathe out pain. Breathe out ugliness. Let them go, each one. Feel them go.

Will this help? Yes. Will it ‘fix’ anything? No. Except that by doing this simple thing, and other simple things like drinking a cup of tea and thinking about drinking the tea. By doing the dishes and thinking about doing the dishes. By going for a walk and thinking about going for a walk. And by letting yourself sleep, and rest, and eat, you can remain strong. Can even get stronger. All of us together can do this, and know that we ARE together and not alone. So that as the difficulties and tragedies go on–and they will–we can retain the strength to resist. To resist evil, and ignorance, and cruelty. And…yes… to overcome.

With admiration and love,

Your humble friend, Doug.