hope in the dark

(april newsletter, 2021)

I have to admit that across the last few weeks I’ve been gazing out through a pair of rose tinted glasses, and it’s done me good. Joy, after all is a necessary act of survival, and one that refuels me to keep going. It’s not that all of a sudden I have the sense that everything will be fine, or that I’ve stopped caring, far from it. It’s more the realisation that pleasure is a force to be harnessed and utilised, it is a sustainable energy that motivates me and keeps me afloat.

A good friend recently reminded me that feeling good doesn’t have to be an absolute experience. It might just mean feeling good enough to get out of bed today, to phone that friend or family member you’ve been meaning to reach out towards, or good enough to fight the patriarchy (obviously).

“The hope I’m interested in is about broad perspectives with specific possibilities, ones that invite or demand that we act. It’s [also] not a sunny everything-is-getting-better narrative, though it may be a counter to the everything-is-getting-worse narrative”

— Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark

That seemed to ease the pressure a little. What’s more, joy and tenderness can live alongside grief and sadness and even despair. A little lifeline of joy, no matter how small, is a powerful and necessary source. Oh the wonders of a nurturing conversation.

We all have our own versions of pleasure and joy, what things are filling up your cup these days? For me, the sense of being in commune with other people, creatively collaborating, is uplifting and encouraging on daily basis. In today’s letter I will be spotlighting those people and encouraging you to take class and connect with their work directly, because all of us are weaving a web of wisdom together and that’s worth celebrating.

with love and joy,

Grace