
A couple of weeks ago I contracted a very severe case of Influenza A. I know it was severe since the emergency room doctor who came in after a battery of tests had been run told me so.
This strain of the flu had taken everything out of me. This happened shortly after my family and I returned from a vacation in Hawaii. What I recognized in the span of twenty-four hours was how quickly life can change from happy to hurt, from health to sickness, from light to dark.
As I sat on my couch each day barely able to move, a fever of more than 102, chills, and pure exhaustion, I realized something.
Even in that amount of pain, I had chosen to embrace gratitude in everyday moments and decisions. I watched while my dogs played around the couch and my neighbor would come over every few hours to let the dogs out, feed them, and check on me.
I chose to embrace the light rather than the dark. As I thought more and more about that I realized that I have also chosen to embrace the light that will come shining through the darkness over the next four years.
One of my favorite quotes is one from Martin Luther King about how we can change the world around us..."Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
While I've heard and read all the feedback on what the next four years might look like and the stories of DEI being forsaken in major companies, immigration raids on vulnerable people, and other stories, responding with more hate-filled rhetoric won't turn any of this around.
Only love and tangible love in action can do that. Companies that choose to eliminate their DEI-labeled programs must still be held accountable for DEI practices. Staying vigilant to see if these same companies are hiring diverse candidates and utilizing women-owned and minority-owned vendors is simple to track. And using your dollar to hold businesses accountable is a strategy that has been tried and tested (as the Montgomery Bus Company).
You see, your dollar is the most powerful symbol of power there will ever be. It is also the most powerful symbol of love ever.
Your dollar, my dollar reminds me of the story told in Matthew 17:24–27 when Jesus told Peter to cast his net. When he hauled a fish in and opened the fish's mouth there was a coin, to which Jesus instructs Peter to pay their tax for both of them.
That parable reminds us how we can use our money today. By choosing to shop at businesses that support humane immigration policies and reforms, and supporting organizations that ensure that inclusion, diversity, and equity are not just labels but represent real action are all actionable, powerful, love-filled messages.
This might mean choosing to stop shopping at a favorite store like Target and instead supporting Costco. It could also mean opting out of eating at a fast food restaurant like Chick-fil-A and visiting small neighborhood restaurants where the staff might be immigrants, helping them keep their jobs through our patronage.
Laying on my couch I remember thinking, "I don't want to be grateful, I want to be mad!" Who wants to be grateful for the flu? But, I had been running on all cylinders for about six months, and quite honestly my body and my mind had all been saying so. I was ignoring it. But sometimes we are forced to sit down (or in my case lay down) and heal our mind, body, and soul.
So I decided to be grateful for the pain and the darkness because, on the other side, I will be a better me. In that moment I also knew that on the other side of the darkness of the next four years, there will be light.
At that moment my being mad about being sick served no one. It's the same as being mad at what we see happening in our nation today. It only serves those who don't want an inclusive world. Those who looked at diversity with an air of superiority and privilege. Those who believe they are somehow entitled and better than other humans on our planet.
What I learned while lying on my couch is that light can defeat darkness. No matter how I felt, focusing on the good and being grateful for my life contributed to my healing.
We must remember that darkness only brings more darkness; it cannot eliminate it.
However, when we collectively focus on the light, we can find better solutions to the problems and challenges we face in these dark times.
Comentarios