The world is filled with anger and fear, much of it justified.

 
And when feeling anger and fear it is oh so easy to respond in kind, to attack, to judge, to condemn.

This past week of observing what is happening across social media, the same question kept coming through—how is that helping?

That question kept coming through as I saw post after post shaming, judging, and condemning others for not reacting as the poster believed they should.

Do I believe that Black Lives Matter? Yes. Fuck yes.

Do I believe that we as a species need to do better about honoring the fact that we are all human beings no matter our skin color? Hell yes.
 

Do I believe that the way to create this change is going to come through judgment and attack and blaming and shaming? No.

 
It’s through judgment and attack that we create separation.

This time we’re in now, I feel is when we need to come together, to learn, to grow, to evolve, to do better, to be better human beings, to practice choosing love.

As a white woman, I can not know the experience of being a Black woman. I recognize that I have a whole heck of a lot to learn about racism and a lot to unlearn and a lot that I’m not yet aware I need to learn and unlearn.

I can’t change how I’ve been in the past, none of us can. But I can listen—seeking to understand, to learn, to do better, and I am committed to continuing to do so.

Along the way, it’s guaranteed that I’ll fuck up, that I’ll unintentionally cause harm, and when I do I will genuinely apologize and I will learn so that I can do better moving forward. Isn’t that the best any of us can do?

This past week, I’ve been silent. Not because I don’t care, not because I don’t have anything to say. But because I needed to go within, to connect with my truth, to gather, to integrate what I was seeing and hearing, to process.

A soul sister shared a phrase from a social injustice class she’d taken that’s rooted itself into my thoughts and maybe as we navigate this time it can help us do so with a little more love and a little less judgment…
 

“seek out the commonalities in our differences and the differences in our commonalities.”

 
Learning.
Understanding.
Growing.
Doing better.
Being better humans.

It’s the journey we’re here for, isn’t it?

Moving forward as I learn and unlearn, I’ll have more to say and do. For now, let me leave you with the words of Andréa Ranae

“Check in with yourself about what you have access to, what you want to contribute, where and how and make a decision.

See what happens next and respond according to what’s in integrity with you.

There is no right way. What is right resides within you.

And it’s a moment-to-moment check in with yourself.”

“What is right resides within you.”

Do what you need to do to connect with the wisdom within you and then follow it.

And even during this time, remember, you absolutely can Love Your Life and Live Your Dreams. It all begins within.