A community member sent this to me yesterday from a talented poet: “hannahrowrites” & I thought – what a great msg for Thanksgiving instead of a traditional turkey day graphic.
If you’re a human…(most of us here ;)), the last almost 3 yrs have been HARD on our relationships: fam relationship, close friend relationships, employer relationships, etc. I can tell you this bc it’s been the case for me….but as an advocate w a pretty public story & open door on DMs, I hear it from you, daily.
There were so many ways we were SHOWN we were (not what it says up here on the post, but the opposite): DIFFERENT. What did/didn’t you take? What did/didn’t you wear? Who did/didn’t you allow in your house? What did/didn’t you post…in support of what action you did/didn’t agree w? Just the tip of the iceberg.
It is/was very rare to find – even w those closest to us – those who agreed w us on everything. This created rifts & animosity & strained relationships & so much more.
But then here we are. Prob the first Thanksgiving in a while where just abt everyone’s willing to get together. Yesterday, the biggest travel day of the yr – travel rose to the same levels as 2019. We are getting back together. But in getting together, so many still feel alone, bc of our differences.
Well, there is power in the term “same” even amidst all those differences. It’s actually why this org is named Same Here (that & a powerful story from Theo Fleury I’ve shared before & will share again). In our DIFFERENCES, we’re actually very much the SAME.
All those memes about: “holding space for those who”…yes, maybe your bucketed category of pain is diff than the pain of others- but isn’t it pain nonetheless? In Hannah’s poem it talks abt “difficult relationships & unresolved issues.” Is there a person on the planet who can’t feel that?
So yes, same. Same Here. This is a great holiday…but also a hard one. Be good to yourself bc what you’re feeling conflicted abt – many millions of others are as well.
In having diff feelings abt this holiday…even in feeling pain – we’re very much the SAME. Hope that understanding helps you find comfort in the collective.
