kindness love care

I was listening to a news bulletin, hearing soundbites from world and local leaders hellbent on dismantling the world, and instead of feeling a dark weight descend upon my shoulders like I usually do, I began building my own essential word list.

So many of us are at breaking point. I have never been at such a jagged breaking blistering point. Trying to muster the strength and energy each day to take small steps, to bake the bread and plant the seeds, to write to the child and create the blog, to read the book and cook the meal. To tread water as I do a slow taper off a toxic drug with scant understanding of my current health challenges, let alone the road ahead. To struggle with the compounding questions. To sleep.

And yes, so many of us feel helpless as war criminals keep murdering innocent families in Gaza, as leaders dismantle services and practices that care for people at global and local levels and that improve the wellbeing of our planet. We witness the most vile forms of racism, sexism, homophobia. Our Government has scant understanding of what we need to do to nurture happy, healthy, multi-literate well-fed children (yes reading writing maths, but also emotional and creative literacy). Our health system is smashed and our incredible doctors and nurses are working in the rubble.

I am crisis point.
Earth is at crisis point.

For the past two years I have been writing A Book of Care, a book of aids that help keep my feet on the ground, that help me weather the darkest corners and sharp skids down the mountain scree. I hold onto light and mountain beauty, and I hold onto joy, but sometimes it is so incredibly tough.

The tūī are our daily soundtrack.
The dancing pīwakawaka dancing delight.

I embrace the notion that things can make a difference. Small steps. My blogs make a difference to me. Writing my secret things makes a difference. Reading your poetry makes a difference. Reading children’s books published in Aotearoa. Hearing people protest and speak out across the world makes a difference. I love tuning into the BBC podcast of People Fixing the World, or their Food Chain podcast, or their Happy Stories from around the World podcasts.

Creating my own word list made a difference this morning. Let us flood the world with word lists and gestures and actions that connect and rebuild and care.

Kia kaha
Paula