"We mend what's broken when we come together"

On grief and the current struggle

Rage & Softness is reader-supported! Thank you to the folks who pay monthly to support my work. If you want to upgrade to paid, go here.

• If you would like to pay for a subscription, but don’t want to do so through Substack, you can pay via my Venmo or PayPal. Also, if you’d like a paid subscription, but can’t afford it, please email me and I’ll add you—no questions asked.

via

Dearest Readers,

I’m struggling to be in the world. I know many of you feel the same. I’m trying to remain soft, hopeful, and present. These are apocalyptic times we’re living in. I’m trying not to go full-on “prepper” mode, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about stocking up on food and water, and making a “go” bag.

I am scared. I am worried. I think it’s important to name these things.

And yet, I know we’ve been here before in varied ways. I know others before me have survived what had once seemed impossible. There is strength, resistance, and resilience in each of us. Braiding these traits together will surely fortify us.

Why do I keep having to go into an office?
Why are things running like normal?
Why do all these terrible things have to happen during my lifetime?

My death doula training is sustaining me. My loved ones are sustaining me. My anti-compliance is sustaining me.

Now more than ever it’s important to feel into and talk about our grief—grief for the world we thought we’d inherit; grief for those who have died avoidable deaths; grief for the climate—the earth. Grief is a pathway to connection—not a dead end.

I don’t have any words of wisdom. I can’t tell you it’s all going to be okay. All I can say is that I’m in it with you until the end.

1. overcoming your fear of death and the unknown - The Borderline Crisis

2. We kind of want the world to end -

   Fae Wolfe

3. Abbondanza abbastanza: Post-capitalism practice in the spirit of abundance -

   care culture

4. A guided exercise for when you've become alienated from your body due to trauma or surgery. -

   Sensory and Sensibility

5. Quakers Sue DHS over Immigration Enforcement and Religious Freedom - Sharlee DiMenichi

6. It’s official: Research has found that libraries make everything better. - James Folta

7. How Do You Know: The Consequences of a Lack of Media Literacy and Where We Go From Here - Ashlie Swicker

8. Declassified CIA Guide to Sabotaging Fascism Is Suddenly Viral - Jason Koebler

9. Even at an Anti-Racist Educators’ Summit, Decrying Genocide Proved Controversial - Eleanor J. Bader

10. This song (a blast from the past):