I’m puzzled. Why are people surprised by the insane inane things the utterly dysfunctional administration is doing? We seem to be caught in a spiral of disbelief and unable to fight our way out of it without being pulled back in by the next bit of insanity.

Maybe that is the reason: we are attempting to fight our way out. What you resist persists. What you give attention to, claims your attention. What you focus on, becomes the only thing you see. We fight our way out only to be sucked back in. We seem to like being members of Fight Club, USA.

If it wasn’t for Facebook, I wouldn’t know what’s going on in the world. Thats one of the reasons I am spending less time here. Sometimes it’s days before the news filters to the top of my feed and I understand the drift of people’s posts.

I don’t need the minutia, the details even. I know what’s happening and I know who’s being hurt. It’s the same story with different characters. The ultra rich are getting richer and everyone else is in the line of fire, realize it or not, like it or not, want it or not.

Nothing surprises me anymore.

It’s a crazy world with crazier people in charge.

To be surprised about what they are doing is kind of crazy too. They told us what they were going to do in oh so many ways. Surprise! They’re doing it. Enough Americans voted for this, so it doesn’t really matter what I’d prefer to see. This is what we’ve got.

I’ll do what I can in the moment. If I see someone struggling and I have an ability to be of assistance, I will do what I can, what I am led to in the moment. It may only be a smile or a hug if that’s all I’ve got at the time.

If ICE tries to disappear someone in front of my eyes, I will ask to see the warrant. I will take pictures. I will not stand idly by. I will not be complicit. I couldn’t live with myself if I became a spectator, even if it means … well, you know what it could mean.

I will take care of myself, be gentle with my sensitive heart, take long walks in the woods, eat well and throw in a tasty treat now and again.

I know what happens when a caregiver overtaxes themselves and we are all caregivers now whether we want to be or not. We are here at the end of the US we knew, or thought we knew, death doulas for a country, midwives of the newborn we have yet to see.

The US our founders imagined never quite made it into form. Many held the ideals and fought to make them so, but hate and anger, greed and self-importance, internally and externally, always seemed to get in the way. That collective vision, the one we celebrate in early July, the vision that I held out for, urging it on to its realization, is dying. Perhaps it is already dead. It will not be resuscitated. There’s a big fat DNR on the White House door.

Cry and scream if you still need to. Let it all out. Hold nothing back. And then, let’s get on with it, with birthing the new, mid-wife-ing the new, filling the unseen cracks with clarity and kindness, packing it tight with oodles of love and compassion, so no ground remains for the seeds of destruction to take root.

In a world that cares about everyone, period, no exceptions, that sees potential in every. single. human. being., that sees laughter, happiness, and peace as valuable assets, and downtime, alone time, family time, as necessities, miracles can unfold. Many will call it miraculous. I’d just call it natural, fearless, our innate selves released.

This is the opportunity we have now, to remake our little corners of the world into whatever we want, whatever we are willing to stand for. The old is dying and it will be replaced with something. If we don’t present the vision, someone else will.

I envision a community presence capable of shining love on the stragglers, the haters, the wounded, a healing ground for those still resonating in the remnants of the old world. No more us versus them. No more winner take all. No more losers. No more hate. No one is worthless. No one can be left behind.

Does it sound too good to be true? If we don’t envision it, it will not come into being. If we do, we may only get a smidge of it or maybe we’ll start an avalanche of goodness that spreads across the world.

The people don’t want war. The people don’t want extreme wealth disparity. The people don’t want starvation and unchecked disease. That’s the result of the current story and it is now ending.

We are writing the next one right now with every breath we take.

Amaya Gayle is the author of 6 books, the latest Actuality; infinity at play, published by New Saram Press. https://amzn.to/3Rd4CTY

Image:  Resources, Death Doulas L.A.