Tea and Cardinals

 You know when you have one of those weeks where you always feel like you are dropping something, looking for something, and you are out there on the fence all by yourself in the balancing act?  Yeah, one of those weeks.  

The what of one of those weeks this week is really not significant.  I mean, we all have them and sometimes we can relate to each other's story, or laugh with each other about it when there is humor in it even if we do not necessarily "get it."

So, after a long week of being out there on the fence all alone with total responsibility to pull something off when I had no say in the agreement to pull it off, I finished it with a day to spare.  So, I am taking a mental health day today, and having tea and cardinals, and working on research--my research.  After getting up to do my morning obligations in the household, I went back to bed for a nap.  Too many days of late nights and early mornings will drain you of your "feel-good" not to mention, drain your body of what it needs to perform at its best. 

Yesterday rained and was cold again, but today has blessed us with intermittent sunshine and the occasional glimpse of a blue sky.  The cardinals, and other little birds, are out at the feeders come rain or come shine or come snow, but it is still always so uplifting to glance up from my work and spy one of them, as if he is waiting to say "Good morning, and thank you for breakfast."

 I think one of the most important things in navigating this often "politics of despair" (Bob Mullaly, 2001, Confronting the politics of despair: Toward the reconstruction of progressive social work in a global economy and postmodern age, Social Work Education, 20(3), 303-320) is the reminder of hope, and keeping company with like-minded people.  Nothing zaps your energy like being around hateful and critical people who think the world working for their agenda depends on people buying into the hysteria unleashed by the fear-mongers and war-mongers among us. 

That is not to say ignore: As Lucius Walker always said, you must name the foxes guarding the hen-house, and call them out for accounting.  I would still rather live in a world of hope than in a world of fear.  Nurture hope where ever you find it.  Without it, there is only fear and mistrust...and we can see where that is getting us.