It’s…a day.
If this were a work of fiction, I’d have to ask the writers to go back over the plot for today because having the inauguration of a White supremacist fascist felon on the same day as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a bit much, honestly.
I remember eight years ago, signing up for the Anti-Racism Daily, now Reimagined News, and seeing the words, “Your heart is a muscle the size of your fist,” I think at the top. (I may be mis-remembering. The memory part of my brain is a warren of weird connections.) I hadn’t googled past that, but then I learned that lyric is from a 2011 folk-punk song written by Patrick Schneeweis, and performed by Ramshackle Glory. (It’s also the title of a book by Sunil Yapa, released in 2016).
I hadn’t listened to the song in full until this week. (If you seek it out, TW/CW for the lyric content).
Your heart is a muscle the size of your fist
Keep on loving, keep on fighting
And hold on, and hold on
Hold on for your life
My brain, see above re: memory warren, then switches to “Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on.” It’s a terrifically weird jukebox, my brain. The remixes are astonishing.
I do appreciate the message to myself: Hold on. Keep loving, keep fighting, know what you’re working towards. Hold on.
Bree Bridges said on Bluesky on January 14th,
Inviting everyone to join me on Jan 20th in doing one thing you love, and one thing they would hate.
Joy & spite, y’all. Joy and spite.
And I loved this reply from writer and artist Marika Bailey:
We do not need to be an audience for fascist pageantry. Witness your neighbors, your communities, your loved ones. Witness all we need to protect. Be present where you are, dig your toes deep into the earth, plant yourself to endure the oncoming storm.
As Gwendolyn Brooks wrote in her poem “Paul Robeson,”
That time
we all heard it,
cool and clear,
cutting across the hot grit of the day.
The major Voice.
The adult Voice
forgoing Rolling River,
forgoing tearful tale of bale and barge
and other symptoms of an old despond.
Warning, in music-words
devout and large,
that we are each other’s
harvest:
we are each other’s
business:
we are each other’s
magnitude and bond.
“We are each other’s harvest: we are each other’s business: we are each other’s magnitude and bond.”
Plant yourself, be present with yourself and others, and hold on.
So: since the writer’s room for 2025 has clearly lost all the plots, I want to ask you: what goodness in your world are you holding on to?
Amanda: Every morning when my alarm goes off, we can hear our youngest cat Fig meowing outside our bedroom door. We open it to unleash what we call the “Kitty Parade.” All she wants to do is lay on my chest and headbutt me, even when I have to get moving for work. She’ll purr and drool and twist around my legs while I’m brushing my teeth. Our two other cats show their affection differently (or not at all in the case of our grumpy old man). The routine of it and affection and clinginess are the biggest bright spot in my mornings. It just makes me so happy.
Lara: After every bottle my tiny prem daughter smacks her lips. It’s so big and expressive and it makes my day.
Sneezy:That thing in the middle of art, food, and community. People will always try to create beauty, find ways to understand themselves, make delicious things, and share all of that with each other. This is a constant throughout time and space. It holds true today, just as it will tomorrow. Remembering that gives me hope and helps me build resilience. Whether it’s aunties excitedly telling each other about a new pork intestine noodle place, noticing a kid with neon pink stripes on their sneakers, appreciating that people planted giant waxy leaves in the park, all of it reminds me we’re not alone, and we’ll always find ways to enjoy and share nice things with each other.
Shana: My best friend is marrying her longtime girlfriend and I’m so excited for both of them.
Me, I’m holding on to my family and my neighbors, and nurturing the connections that help us sustain and thrive – whether that’s heavy lifting (like snow) or sending some cilantro next door so my neighbor can finish dinner.
Most of all, I’m holding on to all of you here, and holding on to this community where we talk to each other about books and everything else.
What about you? What goodness in your world are you holding on to?
