Issue 47: Still Hoping
A vote for kindness and compassion
At this same time four years ago, I wrote a piece on hope during the 2020 election. Much of what I wrote remains true: we are a nation divided, lonely, searching. We’re still fearful, and in opposition. And I’m still here, grasping at hope, for a brighter future ahead.
Voting has taken on new meaning now that I’m a parent. Even though my son was 1.5 years old during the 2020 election cycle, he’s 5 now and I have a 3 year old daughter; I am thinking much less about myself than I was four years ago. Mostly, I’m thinking about how this election will affect my kids’ futures. I’m thinking about the values of our family unit and I’m thinking about who I want them to revere as the leader of our nation. I’m thinking about how they will look back at this time, to whom I gave my one, singular vote, and if they will be proud or dismayed.
Right now, both candidates’ policies are merely promises they are not sure they can fulfill; that will require winning the election, and then buy-in from an extremely divided congress. What we do have at this moment is evidence of character. And as I go into the election, I refuse to vote for a candidate who justifies cruelty in the name of comedy. I refuse to give my vote to a candidate who wants to remove nationwide access to reproductive rights and limit the bodily autonomy of my daughter. I refuse to vote for a candidate who craves power, reveres dictators, and demeans women, one who bullies and belittles. I want my kids to know kindness, empathy and compassion in the highest office of our nation. It’s truly as simple as that.
Please get out and vote today, if you haven’t done so already. You can find all of your local voting information on this incredible website and this is a great resource for learning about ballot measures in your state and community. Many states allow same-day voter registration. When you vote, I encourage you to pause for just a second and think of your kids, or your nieces and nephews, or your grandkids, or your neighbor’s new baby, or the children you see walking home from school each day. What do they deserve? What values do you want to nurture in them? What do you want their future to look like? And then: vote accordingly.
Take good care. We’ll be back to our regular scheduled programming next issue.
Worth Watching: The Wild Robot
If you love crying all the way through a children’s movie, boy have I got a treat for you!! The Wild Robot is a story about—you guessed it!—a robot who finds himself stranded in the wild, tasked with helping an orphaned bird learn to eat, swim and fly in time for winter’s migration. But it’s really so much more than that: a marination on what it means to be a mother, the significance of chosen family, a reckoning of love and letting go. Bring all the tissues!
Worth Listening: “Why Cynicism Is Not Smart”
Apropos of this issue: Jamil Zaki, author of Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness, talks with Elise Loehnen on her podcast Pulling the Thread. They discuss why cynicism is typically viewed as an indictor of intelligence (spoiler: it’s the opposite), and how we’re actually much more aligned in values than we assume. Just some really good food for thought at this moment in history.
Worth Reading: God of the Woods
Finally got around to reading God of the Woods by Liz Moore—one of the most talked-about books of the summer—and I’m so glad I did. It’s a 475-page slow burn mystery, following the disappearance of 13-year-old Barbara at summer camp in 1975. The book jumps back in time 25 years to the coming-of-age of Barbara’s mother, then forward 10 years to the disappearance of Barbara’s older brother, then forward another 15 years to the present day. The cast of characters is dynamic and captivating, and the short chapters made it a breeze to fly through. (Amazon // Bookshop.org)
Worth Noting: This Week’s Honorable Mentions
Jess Kirby rounded up a slew of great internet ladies on what they’re doing to take care of themselves during election week. Lots of coziness and great ideas for today and the days to come.
NY Mag just launched a newsletter, Book Gossip, devoted to all things reading: buzzy new releases, under-the-radar tomes, industry snark, and more.
NYC artist moms! Artists & Mothers is a very cool non-profit that awards a grant for nine months of childcare (!) to emerging and mid-level artists with kids under age three, so they can pursue their art.
Excited for Julia Turshen’s newest cookbook What Goes With What, which has “teach a man to fish” vibes. I have her book Small Victories and love it.
A candle with the name Library in a Forest. Say less.
One of my favorite shows, Somebody Somewhere is back for season 3—its final season—on MAX. I can’t recommend it enough.
I really enjoyed reading I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue, a relatable and funny read (with a lot of tenderness to boot)—anyone who has ever worked a corporate job will surely appreciate this one.
Recently requested library hold: We Go to the Park by Sara Stridsberg and Beatrice Alemagna, about the magic of parks—the strangers who become friends, the trees and leaves and dandelions, the ways in which our imagination is called forth. Will report back!
Having experienced an obscene amount of night sweats recently (TMI? Sorry!), there was lots of head-nodding reading Sara Petersen’s reckoning with the same, wondering if it’s perimenopause or something else and quickly realizing that we still know very little about this huge transformation in a woman’s life (sigh).
Fruit Roll-Ups stuffed with ice cream. We loved it!