I just arrived home after seeing Sheila E in a small club here in Chicago. She took a moment to say the world is so filled with unnecessary hate right now and asked us all to find a stranger and tell them we loved them. It was not difficult at all, in fact, it felt fucking great. That's why the Harris/Walz train has so much steam already...people are desperately seeking joy. Let us try to turn down the static and start pushing these fuckers out. Hoping your head is on the mend and ready for some positive change. ps Flor sounds like the real deal xoxoxo
Oh my gosh I would have loved to be there! That sounds fantastic. And I’m really glad to know there are so many of us wanting to feel hope and not fury. I am not naive enough to think these divisions were caused by one person or even twenty people, but there’s no doubt that the last 8-10 years have really brought out the worst in a LOT of folks and given too many of them permission to stoke their fear instead of examine it. Or at least know better than to announce it on a lawn sign! Hoping we turn that around in about 80 days. And sending you tons of love, Eileen 🤍
Yes! It’s the free pass to be an asshole that’s such a crazy maker….I long for the days when people kept their fear based hate speak to themselves in public. I recognize that doesn’t make it go away, I’m sure there will always be blowhards telling me my sole purpose is to be a babysitter, but the normalization of this has made the general public so much more exhausting to deal with. Sending love and hope your way….I will be here filling up on DNC positivity and waiting for my ballot.
sorry for writing a bit late. I just came back from a game of tennis and I was keeping notification of your post in my top bar as reminder and so I went and read it. Oh my, we have pretty similar situation in Slovakia, where somehow one greedy party collaborating with mafia has been elected back to power (How?!!) and I must agree with you, it's not fucking funny. It's a tragedy. And whilst I don't think I have migraines, I have terrible headaches like once a month, two months and it's not pleasant and I totally agree with you, how the absence of pain reminds you to cherish ordinary days with ordinary problems.
I really love your essays, you always make me believe, want to fight. I am not having best time right now, nothing tragic, just a bit burnt out. Empty I guess. And things that get me going (apart from Anneke) is great writing, music, walking and running. I really want to say thank you for fighting so hard and being as you are.
It’s such a strange time in the world. It’s so hard to understand any attraction toward autocracy by any part of the electorate - you’d think we’d all have gotten at least that one lesson. I guess there are just people willing to sacrifice everything for power. Hard to fathom and infuriating and I really hope we can swing/push/drag the pendulum back to something sane and compassionate.
And thanks for your kind words, of course even though I’m enraged and flabbergasted it still feels good to know that it’s helpful for me to say it! I’m sending you and Anneke lots of love.
Thank you for putting into words and capturing how so many of us feel these days. I too am dumbfounded how anyone can support someone who doesn’t believe in democracy and shows such hostility towards so many groups and people. And who makes comments on a regular basis any one of which would have in the past disqualified them from being our leader. I’m in my 60’s and feel for those just reaching adulthood, the state of our country and the lack of opportunities they have. Who can even buy a home these days, especially those saddled with college debt? I’m sorry about your migraines. I hope you find some relief. Yes, there is a connection between the mind and the body. Most of all thanks for reminding us about what’s important and that we’re not alone.
Literally wrote an essay in response to your thoughtful comments, Mark, and somehow deleted it lol. Not even kidding, I had like 8 paragraphs of response because I woke up thinking about all this as I do most days! Suffice it to say we are on the same page and I shake my head and hold my head so often because it’s mind-boggling how many people support this guy and his horrible cohorts. Let’s hope we move in a very different direction in November and give a resounding no to all of this fear, hatred and bigotry. Thanks so much for being here, it really helps to connect with likeminded people. This community is the best.
I’ll never forget the travel post I was writing in a cab in Istanbul when we hit a bump in the road and I doubled-tapped the post into oblivion! I took a deep breath and just started writing it again as quickly as I could from memory. Of course it was better the second time through. Oy! 🤣
What gives though, Ally? I got a nice offer to subscribe to your newsletter but the 20 percent off didn’t include your undying love forever???
Forget that! I’m going to just subscribe straight up because that’s of course the most important part. 🙂
Aw man that’s awful - having things you’ve written suddenly disappear is such a bad feeling - but you’re right, the second version usually turns out better! And Hahahha. You’ll have my undying love forever regardless! Have a great day :)
Your comments felt like a cool hand on my forehead. So kind of you. Thank you so much. We all deserve a lot better and I hope we’re heading in that direction 🙏🏼💪🏼🔥Thank you for being here!
The thing that kills me about these weird, weird men is the way they feel the need to impose their opinions on the masses. Why do their opinions need to be the law of the land? These people love their freedom—isn't having choices about having freedom? Are they really going to convince America that only men deserve to have freedom?
Honestly, I think people need to put more pressure on JD's wife because she cannot be a silent, complicit partner in his deranged world view and not be challenged about that. I feel like pressuring her to speak up or speak out would go a long way towards JD's undoing. In some ways, I feel like it's a matter of time, because he's weak and he will crack. The only thing he can do with confidence is spew nonsensical word vomit to incite fellow weirdos.
I feel you on the migraines. I've had one on and off this week, and today seems to be an on day. Ugh. I will say, reading this impassioned essay buoyed my spirits. Keep it coming!
Yeah it’s such a mindfuck. They talk about freedom as they try to take us back to a place where we have none. You talk about reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy and they talk to you about Covid vaccines and how come we were ok with that? And the amount of energy you expend (if you engage at all) is exhausting. And it’s all bs anyway because they know perfectly well how that’s a specious argument, just like Usha knows who her husband is and has followed him down this disgusting path, knowingly, willingly and with her eyes open. I don’t think she’ll speak out because she’s very smart and savvy (maybe not with interviews just yet but she’ll get there given the chance). It’s unfathomable to me that people can abandon their ethics for a power grab and it’s even more outrageous to me when a woman who understands what this all looks like for girls and women across the country is like, yep, I’m in. But here we are.
As ever, thank you for your wonderful comments. I know we’re all enraged and tired of being enraged. Mark Robinson got me down for quite a while this week as did all this “post-menopausal females” garbage, but it helps to call it what it is and to talk about it. Thank you for being here. Onward. Hopefully we’ll have something to celebrate in about 80 days 🤍
I just arrived home after seeing Sheila E in a small club here in Chicago. She took a moment to say the world is so filled with unnecessary hate right now and asked us all to find a stranger and tell them we loved them. It was not difficult at all, in fact, it felt fucking great. That's why the Harris/Walz train has so much steam already...people are desperately seeking joy. Let us try to turn down the static and start pushing these fuckers out. Hoping your head is on the mend and ready for some positive change. ps Flor sounds like the real deal xoxoxo
Oh my gosh I would have loved to be there! That sounds fantastic. And I’m really glad to know there are so many of us wanting to feel hope and not fury. I am not naive enough to think these divisions were caused by one person or even twenty people, but there’s no doubt that the last 8-10 years have really brought out the worst in a LOT of folks and given too many of them permission to stoke their fear instead of examine it. Or at least know better than to announce it on a lawn sign! Hoping we turn that around in about 80 days. And sending you tons of love, Eileen 🤍
Yes! It’s the free pass to be an asshole that’s such a crazy maker….I long for the days when people kept their fear based hate speak to themselves in public. I recognize that doesn’t make it go away, I’m sure there will always be blowhards telling me my sole purpose is to be a babysitter, but the normalization of this has made the general public so much more exhausting to deal with. Sending love and hope your way….I will be here filling up on DNC positivity and waiting for my ballot.
Hey Ally
sorry for writing a bit late. I just came back from a game of tennis and I was keeping notification of your post in my top bar as reminder and so I went and read it. Oh my, we have pretty similar situation in Slovakia, where somehow one greedy party collaborating with mafia has been elected back to power (How?!!) and I must agree with you, it's not fucking funny. It's a tragedy. And whilst I don't think I have migraines, I have terrible headaches like once a month, two months and it's not pleasant and I totally agree with you, how the absence of pain reminds you to cherish ordinary days with ordinary problems.
I really love your essays, you always make me believe, want to fight. I am not having best time right now, nothing tragic, just a bit burnt out. Empty I guess. And things that get me going (apart from Anneke) is great writing, music, walking and running. I really want to say thank you for fighting so hard and being as you are.
Namaste.
All the best to you and your family. Always.
🙏
It’s such a strange time in the world. It’s so hard to understand any attraction toward autocracy by any part of the electorate - you’d think we’d all have gotten at least that one lesson. I guess there are just people willing to sacrifice everything for power. Hard to fathom and infuriating and I really hope we can swing/push/drag the pendulum back to something sane and compassionate.
And thanks for your kind words, of course even though I’m enraged and flabbergasted it still feels good to know that it’s helpful for me to say it! I’m sending you and Anneke lots of love.
Thank you for putting into words and capturing how so many of us feel these days. I too am dumbfounded how anyone can support someone who doesn’t believe in democracy and shows such hostility towards so many groups and people. And who makes comments on a regular basis any one of which would have in the past disqualified them from being our leader. I’m in my 60’s and feel for those just reaching adulthood, the state of our country and the lack of opportunities they have. Who can even buy a home these days, especially those saddled with college debt? I’m sorry about your migraines. I hope you find some relief. Yes, there is a connection between the mind and the body. Most of all thanks for reminding us about what’s important and that we’re not alone.
Mark
Literally wrote an essay in response to your thoughtful comments, Mark, and somehow deleted it lol. Not even kidding, I had like 8 paragraphs of response because I woke up thinking about all this as I do most days! Suffice it to say we are on the same page and I shake my head and hold my head so often because it’s mind-boggling how many people support this guy and his horrible cohorts. Let’s hope we move in a very different direction in November and give a resounding no to all of this fear, hatred and bigotry. Thanks so much for being here, it really helps to connect with likeminded people. This community is the best.
I’ll never forget the travel post I was writing in a cab in Istanbul when we hit a bump in the road and I doubled-tapped the post into oblivion! I took a deep breath and just started writing it again as quickly as I could from memory. Of course it was better the second time through. Oy! 🤣
What gives though, Ally? I got a nice offer to subscribe to your newsletter but the 20 percent off didn’t include your undying love forever???
Forget that! I’m going to just subscribe straight up because that’s of course the most important part. 🙂
Aw man that’s awful - having things you’ve written suddenly disappear is such a bad feeling - but you’re right, the second version usually turns out better! And Hahahha. You’ll have my undying love forever regardless! Have a great day :)
May you always feel a cool hand on your forehead when you need it, brave warrior. You are so deserving of peace and a life free of internalized pain.
Your comments felt like a cool hand on my forehead. So kind of you. Thank you so much. We all deserve a lot better and I hope we’re heading in that direction 🙏🏼💪🏼🔥Thank you for being here!
The thing that kills me about these weird, weird men is the way they feel the need to impose their opinions on the masses. Why do their opinions need to be the law of the land? These people love their freedom—isn't having choices about having freedom? Are they really going to convince America that only men deserve to have freedom?
Honestly, I think people need to put more pressure on JD's wife because she cannot be a silent, complicit partner in his deranged world view and not be challenged about that. I feel like pressuring her to speak up or speak out would go a long way towards JD's undoing. In some ways, I feel like it's a matter of time, because he's weak and he will crack. The only thing he can do with confidence is spew nonsensical word vomit to incite fellow weirdos.
I feel you on the migraines. I've had one on and off this week, and today seems to be an on day. Ugh. I will say, reading this impassioned essay buoyed my spirits. Keep it coming!
Yeah it’s such a mindfuck. They talk about freedom as they try to take us back to a place where we have none. You talk about reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy and they talk to you about Covid vaccines and how come we were ok with that? And the amount of energy you expend (if you engage at all) is exhausting. And it’s all bs anyway because they know perfectly well how that’s a specious argument, just like Usha knows who her husband is and has followed him down this disgusting path, knowingly, willingly and with her eyes open. I don’t think she’ll speak out because she’s very smart and savvy (maybe not with interviews just yet but she’ll get there given the chance). It’s unfathomable to me that people can abandon their ethics for a power grab and it’s even more outrageous to me when a woman who understands what this all looks like for girls and women across the country is like, yep, I’m in. But here we are.
As ever, thank you for your wonderful comments. I know we’re all enraged and tired of being enraged. Mark Robinson got me down for quite a while this week as did all this “post-menopausal females” garbage, but it helps to call it what it is and to talk about it. Thank you for being here. Onward. Hopefully we’ll have something to celebrate in about 80 days 🤍