Why haven’t I posted on my blog in a while? It’s not that I have anything to say — I often have too much to say.
On one hand, I have been dedicating more time to my Substack for longer pieces and my LinkedIn for one-off anecdotes. On another, I’ve been journaling more. As much as I love using my online presence as a personal diary, I am learning how to get to know myself more through private conversations with myself. I also forgot how much I love putting actual pen to paper. There’s something special about physical writing and noticing how my emotions translate into pen strokes.
Then — in full transparency — I’ve been lazy. Sometimes, in order to take steps in some directions, you stay stagnant in others.
A past version of myself would be distraught over this, but today, I can recognize that it’s okay to take a step back sometimes in order to triage other aspects of life. While I’ve embarked on my journey of finding work-life balance, I have become more and more content with the fact that not everything is going to be done at the same time — and it shouldn’t.
So what motivated me today?
The emotional high of post-midterm elections. As I’ve been at work, I’ve been reflecting on my personal relationship with politics and activism, and while I am not going to share all of my hot takes right now — some to come on Substack — I do want to acknowledge the power that anger has in bringing people together.
Anger, that is channeled in a healthy and productive way, isn’t bad. A common enemy often brings people together. I think it’s beautiful to see how we are uniting to make progress. Now more than ever, we need each other to make real change that is lasting and impactful. But it’s also critical to remember that anger fuels a flame; how we keep it burning after we’ve won is another beast within itself.
The anger and the passion that got us to Election Day must continue to burn. Don’t stop supporting your neighbor or fighting for what’s right because you think we’ve crossed the finish line — we haven’t. We are just getting started.
Celebrate the win, be happy, enjoy the collective relief we can relish, then get back to work. Use your joy, your anger, your sadness, your frustration, all of it, to motivate you to keep trying.
Your vote matters. Your voice matters. You matter.