Turn off the War, Turn on the Wonder

The world feels like it's on fire... again.

Between the doom-scrolls, the breaking news chyrons, and the "this just in" updates that never bring good news, it’s a wonder any of us are functioning at all. My fight-or-flight reflex is exhausted from living in crisis after crisis since 1999. I'm now at the stage where I feel like hiding-under-a-blanket-and-eat-chips with a bottle of wine feels like the best course of action.

Here’s the truth though: we are not generals. We are not presidents. We are not international diplomats with nuclear briefcases. We’re parents, partners, poets, teachers, taco-lovers, people who cry during dog commercials, people just doing their best to make ends meet, love others, and take care of ourselves and our families. That means...

we are gloriously, frustratingly not in control of what unfolds on the global stage.

But here’s what we are in control of: the energy we carry into our day, the way we treat our neighbor. We control whether or not we give our kid that second scoop of ice cream (spoiler: give them the scoop).

We get to choose where we put our hearts and our attention.

So no, we can’t stop the talking heads from shouting. We cannot stop what has already been decided and put into motion. We don't have that power. But we have the power choose to unplug. We can power off the chaos and power on some Motown, light a candle that smells like cinnamon and comfort, and dance in my kitchen like I'm starring in a rom-com montage.

We can let the news break and choose not to break down.

We can hold the door open for a stranger. We can smile at the grumpy barista. We can leave a quarter in the Aldi cart and feel like a benevolent grocery fairy. We can leave a higher tip than we might normally. We can hit the pool in the heat of the day. We can have dessert for dinner.

We can say yes to joy, even when the headlines scream no.

We are allowed to live in the tension, to care deeply about the state of the world, but also to protect our peace. We are allowed to grieve and laugh in the same breath. We can read the hard articles and then snuggle under a blanket and binge our comfort show for the seventh time. Two truths can be held in the same hands. And...

We are allowed to turn off the war and turn on the wonder.

So write the poem. Read the books. Make the cookies. Watch the stars. Catch fireflies. Savor the midnight snack. Hug your people hard, and then hug them again. You have one wild beautiful amazing life. One. The days have always been numbered - the chaos only has a way of bringing that into the harshest of light. Use your power to choose the beauty, the joy, and the love that surrounds you - let that be your focus and where you put the greatest amount of your energy.

This is how we hold the line. This is how we make peace in the sphere of our world while they are making war.

Right here. Right now. In the middle of the mess, choose to be the light in the darkness for yourself, for your family, for your friends, your neighbors, for the strangers around you.

Be the extra scoop of love, and top it with rainbow sprinkles.

xoxo, Ellie (your friendly neighborhood poetry problem and mountain-born mouthpiece)