It's not easy to exist in a community in flux & recovery from trauma/crisis. It draws on your physical, mental, emotional, empathetic selves. It's critical to pay attention to & attempt to understand the specific ways in which things are changing & moving YET focus is also key +

This focus is particularly critical for those community members that have been dedicated to & fighting for equity, justice, social change. It's necessary in crisis/trauma to focus on a "critical wound", but if you lose sight of the "entire being" you may still lose in the end +

For these reasons, it's critical to find/cultivate community that facilitates close attn to flux/trauma, while not being completely consumed by it. Those change agents dedicated to the long-term health, betterment & transformation of the system MUST not lose sight of that work +

I've been working diligently on this as there have been a series of local crises & far beyond. I've worked out some thru #writing & what a #writing season it's been & continues to be. Some other inspiration I've been drawing on to ensure I am not distracted from my work follows:

Martin L King Jr.: “I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation — either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.” Self note: my creative=creating good/justice

@BerondaM self-affirmation: Know, know deeply, & move with & in that knowledge towards long-term vision. Think of ways that current "loud cries"/crisis link to underlying issues of inequity & inefficiency. Then contribute to the current while working toward long-term need/change.

Deepak Chopra quote: "In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you".
Self note: stillness doesn't mean you don't sense/respond to the chaos, it allows you to do so thoughtfully, powerfully, with impact/power not just in ways that draw attention but no action.

Just a few of many that I use to remind myself that my TRUE impact lies in understanding that no matter how BIG & heartbreaking a current crisis is, where I fail to see connection to a larger whole, I lose potential to respond now while staying focused on larger change, MY WORK!