A cup of courage for the winter we are in

Wonder has always been political, but not in the way you might suppose.

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Well my friends, I’ve been quieter here than usual. I have been trying to find the right words to share things that are woven so deeply in my being they almost defy language.

I recognize we desperately need spaces we can come together in to find joy, beauty, creativity, and shared humanity that give us respite from our newsfeeds.

But we also need authentic, bold storytelling that helps us be brave in the middle of all the things that fill them. I have only shared the edges of my journey here, and it is filled with these kinds of stories.

Here is a new series where I begin to write from my one wild and precious life.

Stories from places a world away. Thoughts from deconstructing my faith back to where the place it started. Anecdotes and experiences that speak to the events unfolding around us with hope instead of fear.

Wonder isn’t just about nurturing the creativity that gives us places to rest; it’s about being grounded and rooted in the resilience we need to rise.

I am more fiercely committed to building the kindest corner on the internet than ever. But beloved kindness doesn’t mean staying quiet.

Quietness is often compliance with the systems of empire wreaking havoc on the most vulnerable among us.

I am not here to shame you or other you for how you voted. That is part of the problem. Othering, dehumanizing people we disagree with.

I am not here to unpack political/partisan analysis or break down policies. (Good Lord, no.)

I am also not here to debate, convince you of my position, or give you source evidence to defend my perspective. Nope. This isn’t a debate stage.

It’s my creative corner that always has the kettle on to share courage for the days we are living in.

A few things we should be clear on. I’m toxically empathetic and proud of it. I will always stand for human rights and decency. I believe loving my neighbor means all of them. No human being is illegal or undeserving of care.

The elephant in the room.

Here’s the deal. I think we often confuse the words political and partisan.

“I liked it better when you weren’t political,” often really means, “I liked it better when you didn’t post content I considered partisan, disagreeable, or uncomfortable.”

Politics is often partisan, but it also is simply the public affairs of a nation or group of people. We live in and move through politics every day.

Art has always been political. Creativity, political. Writing, phew, yep, political. Having an opinion on what to eat, where to live, what stores to shop in, how to spend your money… yeah, those are all political choices because they exist in the context of a society ordered by political systems.

Love compels me to not turn away from what I witness.

So, let me be very clear.

I do not care if you voted red, blue, green, or none of the above. Again, there is a lot of shame going around that makes it virtually impossible to ever change your mind or grow into a different perspective. We don’t do that here.

But what is nonnegotiable for me is human dignity.

Doing unto others as I’d hope they’d do unto me. Knowing the way I treat the least of these (the poor, the sick, the foreigner) is the same way I treat Jesus. I didn’t care for dying babies in Africa to stay quiet when a baby (and legal asylum seeker) in my own home country is used as bait.

(His father didn’t run away; he was already in custody. But I guarantee half the country doesn’t know that.)

Liam.

What’s happening now in the USA, with a masked paramilitary whose funding is now larger than most of the world’s military forces and larger than the FBI and CIA combined… A paramilitary terrorizing our streets and killing people, including US citizens, while flagrantly breaking the 1st, 2nd, and 4th amendments for starters… that is straight-up authoritarianism trying to rip off the doors of our democracy.

The way we treat our most vulnerable members of society is the measure of our greatness. Full stop.

This space is my livelihood, and I recognize some of you may leave because I have voiced these things. However, it is impossible for me to move forward to tell my story and build a truly kind, safe community without being clear about where I stand.

I’d rather lose part of my livelihood than be guarded or inauthentic with you. I also recognize I am only able to make that statement because I have immense privileges many do not have.

Wonder is the path back to ourselves and one another.

People who want to maintain their grip on power often do so through force that seeks to divide and keep people suspicious of one another. It’s a manipulation tactic of coercive control. And we don’t have to fall for it.

You know what fights systems built on empire, coercion, and authoritarianism?

Community. Showing up for one another. Not having a litmus test for how perfectly someone aligns with our exact preferences before extending our welcome. Making new friends. Learning our neighbor’s names.

Creativity. Little daily acts of joy. 100 days of one-word wonder prompts. Relentlessly seeking beauty. Noticing goodness. Over-the-top kindness. Curiosity that keeps asking questions and thinks critically.

Making time to craft together. Letting our love be louder than intimidation.

Refusing to let our attention be extracted and manipulated for corporate profit. Believing our own eyes and ears when we see things unfolding around us. Learning about how misinformation works so we can spot it early and often.

Saying no to the standards and structures of toxic productivity where our output determines our worth. Letting wonder be a way back to ourselves in an age of overwhelm. Walking in a peace that does not demand our looking away from other people’s pain.

This is hope that is bigger than fear. You are not alone, and you don’t have to figure it out on your own.

If you are overwhelmed right now, do one tiny act of kindness for someone else. None of us can change the whole world on our own. But together, one little action at a time, love always wins.

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PS. I am still writing regular Postcards of Hope, our new monthly magazine, The Wonder Guidepost, and Prompt and Ponder, our paid prompt subscription.

I will also be sharing my thoughts from the intersection of current events and how wonder helps us find our way home in a distracted, divided, disconnected world.

If you’d like to support the work I do here and receive weekly creativity and journaling prompts, as well as access to our ginormous archives, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.