Rally Round The Lavender Roses, Or, Saturday Morning at 9:32am

It’s an absolutely beautiful morning here in the Bay Area. After something like five years when we suffered through temperatures of over 100 degrees in May, and fires so large and close they turned our skies an apocalyptic yellow, so far this spring and summer have been perfect.

I am appreciating. Consciously appreciating. Breathing in thanks and then breathing thanks out. My decade from hell taught me a late lesson in conscious gratitude; celebrate when you can.

I’d like to give a particular thank you to our mourning doves. One minute it’s 8:22am on July 5th, the dryer rumbling in the background, but a single, “Coo, coo, cooroo” later and a pinprick hole between eras opens. Whether the summer of 1970 comes rushing into now, or I’m sucked back I couldn’t say. But I’m always reminded how astonishing it is to have lived nearly 7 decades. Which is more amazing, the myriad leaves on my alder or that I can still see that bush with lavender rose buds outside the Scottish castle where my family stayed in the summer of 1968?  Hills rose behind, covered in gray-green heather.

It can be particularly hard, in this moment, to locate my sense of astonishment. Probably we knew our current president would jam his ego-ridden, corruption-sodden legislation down the country’s throat and yet we may despair. I don’t tolerate despair well. Birdsong helps. Analyzing my options and doing what I can helps too.

Midterms may be coming sooner than you think. Raised in the era of the Cultural Revolution and the Soviet Archipelago, I can worry we might not actually get them. But why? Why waste imagination? I would rather have my hopes dashed than sink into some kind of protective pre-misery. Could be just me.

If action helps you, what to do? I’m trying to look this all in the face without having to squeeze under my bed and never come out.

1. Donate if you can. Given all the ridiculous fundraising texts I get, and block, I prefer to work through Charles Gaba’s fund here. Every penny goes to campaigns that have a good shot at winning. I am also now investigating organizations that work for voter’s rights, for example, the ACLU or the Brennan Center. Finally, inasmuch as a battalion of Soviet soldiers marched past me on the sidewalk, in Budapest in 1979, I can imagine ICE playing a suppression role . (Don’t follow that link if you’re prone to catastrophizing. It’s tough to read.) So, maybe a way to discourage people from joining that force, or block their fund, will emerge, and I’ll support the effort.
2. Volunteer if you can. As in the past, I’m working for Swing Left. The campaign I did ballot-curing for in 2024 told me that the Swing Left canvassers and other volunteers are awesome. Let’s be awesome together.
3. Protest if you can. Join your local Indivisible group and get on their email list, or in their Facebook group, and you’ll be notified of actions near you. You don’t have to go to everything. But you might like to try one and see how it feels. I’m thinking of making a sign that has an image of the Declaration of Independence on one side, captioned, “My Great-Grandfather Several Times Over Signed This And He Thinks Trump Is A Disgrace.” On the other side, an image of the Constitution captioned, “My Half-Uncle Several Times Over Wrote This Preamble And He Tells Me We Have To Get Rid Of Trump Or We The People Will Lose It All.” The medicine of dark humor..
4. Find people who need care. If no kind of fight feels possible, maybe care is an option. Doesn’t matter who, or where, just help them. If you can. And ask for help when you yourself need it. The more we act in community the better.

I hope that come July 2029 we can celebrate the Fourth, the dream of America we believe in and our capacity to remember. Remember, there are an awful lot of us if we rally.

Round the flag, or a sign of protest. Have a wonderful weekend.