It's a fallacy to think we can keep doing the work of resisting the moves of the current administration without taking the time to process and move through the grief.

We're watching the destruction of our government by an administration bent on their own power and greed. Don't for a minute think otherwise. Things we thought could rely on here in Midcoast Maine — accurate and timely weather forecasts, FEMA funds for storm-ravaged fishing piers, free food programs at the elementary, middle, and high schools — are being ravaged as I write this.

Your Social Security check may or may not come when next due. Your island hospital may or may not receive the Medicaid funds it needs to stay open.

Our government, the richest in the world, is not supposed to become an object of carnage. But it has. And our souls feel it, our bodies feel it.

We need to grieve. We do that together — in the corner standout in Rockland on Saturdays; in the small circles of discussion happening in Belfast and Camden; in the powerful Just the Facts group organized on Vinalhaven. If you haven't found a group you can grieve with (look at audacitycat.org) maybe create your own.

We are a social species, one that works best when we gather, paying attention and homage to our own grief and that of our neighbors and family. Find a friend and walk. Reach out to a new friend and see how they are. Write a note to a distant family member. Check in with yourself, too.

Contrary to what we might have been told as we were growing up, shedding tears for what we have lost empowers us. It reminds us what matters, it refreshes and resets our energy and balance, clears away the detritus so we can dig in and fight again.

Your neighbors care. Your friends care. We care. You are not alone, we are not alone. You are making a difference in this fight for our country.

Concluding Thoughts

It's not an easy time to live in this country. Yet I take heart in the signs of resilience I see and hear all around me. We the people can turn the tide on the cruelty and greed that our national leaders are displaying. We, in the Midcoast, can make a difference.

If you haven't yet listened to this powerful speech on the floor of the French senate, I highly recommend it. Pass it along. As he so eloquently stated: "the defenders of freedom have always prevailed."

As we shall this time, too.

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Courage and Conviction in Midcoast Maine