v. 64 Nothing Is O.K. Everything Is O.K.
Welcome to Life, Created — a weekly(ish) reflection on the wisdom of being a grown-ass human and staying curious when the world’s on fire. Rooted in microjoys, meaning, and the moments that make it all worthwhile.
We woke up on Saturday morning and Ira opened the news on his phone, as he always annoyingly does first thing in the morning. He just looked up and said, “they did it again.” My husband is from Minnesota.
Nothing is O.K. right now.
Everything is O.K. right now.
And the dissonance between those two seemingly separate truths is exhausting to grasp. We’re watching people die in the heartland, again, watching names enter the news and then threaten to disappear just as quickly. We’ve been here so many times before, fighting for basic dignity. All of this is happening while many of us are in our kitchens or at our desks, answering emails, making dinner, moving through days that continue on schedule, even as we attempt to hold grief …and also to be angry.
Four days ago, 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by ‘federal agents’ during an 'immigration enforcement operation’ in Minneapolis. His murder came just weeks after Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent under similar circumstances.
This is our current reality: we watch these events unfold in real time and feel immobilized, stunned by footage and ‘official statements’ that somehow don’t match what our own eyes tell us. It feels like we’re living in an alternate reality, one where shared facts are no longer possible. It as if we’re all staring at the same fucking screen but not seeing the same thing. We can care deeply and still feel powerless to affect the institutions and policies that shape outcomes like these. This duality is so (very) hard to live within. And/ but. Holding duality is also deeply part of what it means to be human.
Anger makes sense in moments like this. Grief does too. We want to fix what is broken, or at least name the brokenness in a way that demands something be done about it. At the same time, we carry on with our ordinary tasks: work, family, laughter, errands, oil changes. That does not make us cold or indifferent. It means we are still here, trying to live a life that honors our values while living inside systems that often contradict them.
The news cycle insists on our instant performative reaction. But true change rarely comes from performance. It comes from long attention, from the way we hold multiple truths at once: the profound wrong of a life taken too soon, and the stubborn insistence on building days that feel worth living. We learn that bearing witness is not a passive act. It is a form of engagement that asks something of our awareness, our habits, and our everyday choices.
Nothing is OK right now.
Everything is OK right now.
The real work is learning how to stand in the middle of that sentence and still act like a human with agency, dignity, care, and intention. Even when the outcome is unclear and the work feels unfinished.
I have no wise answers to the reality of the world we live in today but if any of this resonates, know that you are not alone.
Every essay features a section called “One Fine Microjoy” – an experience, place, or thing that brings me joy, grace, and hope amidst life’s ups and downs. I hope it invites you to recognize and appreciate the delights that ground, inspire, and enrich our journey.
JMC 12/75 (signature on back): Thanks for the microjoy.
This week’s microjoy: I bought a painting. For $12.99. A 12” x 16” painting with a navy blue ground and a white dancing sock monkey from 1975. I wasn’t in the market for this particular genre of ridiculous art, but I saw this little weirdo and squealed inside with delight. I texted a picture to Ira immediately. His reply: “It’s weird. I like it. Get it.” And that’s how we acquired a painting of an odd all white sock monkey, mid-dance.
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With love, wisdom [and small mercies] from Montclair. xx
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