
Shooting the breeze with my dearest friend of over 40 years, she confided the vulnerability she felt at her most recent doctor visit. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be around. I mean, I hope I make it a long time, but I’m cool either way,” she said. “Government’s always fighting, the planet’s heating up—and let’s be real, it’s not like I’m Madame Curie–one discovery away from curing cancer…” My brilliant friend Elisa offers up gallows humor like no one else. Once I stopped laughing, I reminded her that her friendship is a treasure. “To me, you cure cancer. So stick around.”
I feel vulnerable to aging, too. I’m grateful to be in good health but take nothing for granted—especially considering our 3-year Covid nightmare. My conversation with her reminded me how hungry I am for more. I want many more years, although I know I have more behind me than in front. I want more time to express my thoughts, to write, to act, to be an activist, to share my life with my loved ones. Just as important is my need for community, the value I find in every act of kindness and the satisfaction I get just by showing up.
But I have a habit of doing things out of habit, like a hamster endlessly going around the same wheel because I’m “supposed to.” The (thankfully, minor) aches and pains that come with age remind me to be vigilant about my next chapter, to only engage in what has value, to stay away from unnecessary drama, to support and celebrate friends and fellow travelers, whether in person or on the net.
Which brings me to my new website. I have mostly stayed out of the debate these past few years, in part because I was working on a new book (coming soon), in part due to family medical issues (resolved), and in painful part because I felt I had failed in the missions I set for myself—to help get Hillary elected, to encourage both sides to meet in the middle, to hold corporate media accountable. Big media’s cynical efforts to profit from click-bait and little else seem to have only gotten worse–exacerbating the divide. Truly, I felt I was screaming into the void. Once I stopped beating myself up about it, I remembered how many are out there who never stop fighting, never feeling sorry for themselves.
So here I am. Once again in the fray, hoping you will join me, check out what I have to share—whether political or personal—and offer up your thoughts as well. One of the most important things to me is standing up. Perhaps because it took me so long to learn how, and then dare to be heard. Growing up I was admonished by my family, who had suffered through WWII, to play it safe and keep silent. But silence can, unintentionally, equal “yes.” So, no, I won’t be silent.
It matters that we all have a voice because the powers that be can use a kick in the pants. As always, more voices are needed. Especially yours. Please stick with me in my new home. And know that I am always grateful to connect with you.