No Frontiers
Austin, TX | ©️ 2023 Alicia Kae Miller
The global news guts me.
These days, I have dialed my consumption down to knowing enough to be informed but not to the point of being overwhelmed. No surprise, I feel guilty about this. Still, I know myself well enough to acknowledge that if clickbait comes calling, I might not return.
Speaking of no return, if "no good deed goes unpunished," as my dear friend K. suggests is true, the advent of the 24-hour news cycle is both a blessing and a curse, with the latter occasionally urging some of us, including me, to light out sans our tech gadgets for parts unknown.
For some readers, do you recall when media was only accessible via the nightly news or by reading a physical newspaper, and instead of an app, we bravely navigated darkness with the luminosity of the moon and stars?
Sigh.
You know what they, whoever they are, say, look back to move forward.
So, part of my looking back is acknowledging my long-lived Pollyanna-type tendency to actively seek abundance derived from inspiration, such as the awe of New York City, California's rocky coastline, and Austin's mural feast for this one's green eyes.
There are many brilliant paintings around town, but there is one on South Lamar Boulevard that resonates profoundly and reads, "Your Potential is Limitless." Hot damn.
Like a good cup of coffee, this proclamation hits me repeatedly right where I live.
However, lately, it reads less of an affirmation to me and more of a reminder that even in the darkest moments in history, humanity can infinitely prevail and move forward with empathetic discourse when we recall that:
◇ Our words and actions define outcomes.
◇ We all bleed red regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, and age.
◇ You are a unique, one-of-a-kind human, and so am I.
As the leaders of our lives, through repetition, we can learn to regulate our emotional responses. When we better understand ourselves, our ability to appreciate the lived experience of someone else is all that much easier. With the ease of a newfound understanding, we galvanize greater compassion and less hate.
Until we meet again, stand with one another in the boundless power of empathy. ❤️
Yours in Solidarity, -akm
November 2023