there's a part of me that wants to say that I am beyond shocked by the election results. unfortunately, i'm not because there was deep part of me that had a feeling that this was going to be the turn out. how i wished i was wrong. i wrote the following reflection and sent it to many friends and am posting it here too. so if you happen upon it, just know that writing this was my healing process. today, i feel inspired. determined. ready to roll up my sleeves and fight the good fight -- for love. for equality. for goodness. i cannot live my life as i had. i am changed and want to be the change in the world. let's do this.//

Dear you,
If you are receiving this email it is because I know you are a bright light that emits love and goodness into this world. We may not close friends, in fact, I may just read your newsletter or sorted some organics bins with you. But I've been impacted by your light and ... I am grateful for you.

While I am heartbroken (literally, I've been crying about every 10 minutes). I know that it's important to feel into this grief.

I keep thinking of this quote ...“Keep your gaze on the wounded place. This is where the light enters.” ~Rumi

Light ..

It's hard to imagine, but we must remember love during this time. I know it's hard. It's so fucking hard. Oh god, here come the tears. But we can do this. Somehow, someway.

I wanted to share a reflection from a few weeks ago. The 81 day degree in October had me very rattled and sad for the Earth (how can people still believe climate change is "not real"?!), but I remembered the sacred pause. I had just read a beautiful passage from the book, Fear, by Thich Nhat Hanh. It talked about how death doesn't have to be absolute "end". I can't remember the exact wording, but had been exploring the idea of life/death in a painting. The painting was inspired by a time when I was in Iceland standing in front of an all-encompassing waterfall. The water fell in such a way that it looked like it was dancing with the air, all the way to the rocks. The way it moved, it seemed the water flowed and then cycled back to the sky only to be repeated again.

So my head was spinning with the thoughts of the swirling air and water and death and life. And then I then thought ... okay ... if death isn't the end, then maybe I can look at these cycles of the Earth in a different way. Yes, I can be saddened by destruction (and let's admit this new establishment does not seem to include the Earth's care in the list), but I can also take comfort in knowing that it will come back around. The planet will persevere in a way I can't even imagine! Also, this is funny.

So what does any of this have to do with anything? Well, it's my long way of saying that perhaps *this too* is a cycle.

Perhaps in all of this loss and pain, something good will come back around.

Don't lose your light. Don't let this election take that from you.

This morning the crowded subways seemed extra spacious. More people stepped to the side to allow fellow commuters on. Perhaps it was fatigue, but kindness was there. I also spent the morning giving "you are loved" notes to strangers and cried through tears telling them to "not give up".

See, goodness still exists my friends. It's within us. It's within YOU.

The animals and beings of the world will connect.
But we must stay positive.
"Where attention goes, energy flows."

I encourage you to not feed into the hatred. Find the ones you love, tell them you love them more. Be kind. Smile. Notice. Be moved by this. Be broken. Be love. Just be. Write, paint, dance, sing, scream, act. Allow yourself to grieve in whatever language you need. ♥

With that I am sending you all the love my human heart can hold and then some. I started with the gratitude and will end with that as well.

I am grateful for you. Please remember your self care at this time. Drink water. Nourish your body. Rest.

We will get through this. One molecule at a time.
Kim ♥

P.S. Let's just hope and pray that this ends up okay
P.P.S. There is no need to write back, unless you feel compelled too. Just writing these thoughts were healing for me. Thank you for all the good work you do.