I’ve been listening. I didn’t want to post a Black Lives Matter statement without any weight behind it just because other companies were doing so. Words are important, but the action behind these specific words are critical to creating change and healing. I also wanted to make sure I had our entire leadership’s support behind this post. We believe this is a critical moment in our history that should not be taken lightly.
Grief doesn’t discriminate and neither do we - as an organization and as individuals. At Love Not Lost, we love you regardless of the color of your skin, gender, or any other identifier. We love you because you’re human, and your life is valuable.
There are two great wounds and griefs plaguing our nation. The deaths, destruction, and trauma caused to the indigenous tribes when the white settlers first came to America and the trauma, deaths, and destruction caused to the black communities since they were forced to be enslaved and imprisoned in the founding and continued existence of the United States of America.
These wounds have been festering for centuries under the red white and blue fabric covering the nation. And it's time to peel the coverings off.
Black lives matter.
Why does Love Not Love believe this matters?
To heal, we must grieve. To grieve, we must feel. To feel, we must acknowledge and be present with the pain. And to be present in the deep injustices of our country’s history is uncomfortable. There are so many systemic problems we can’t fix as individuals that may leave us feeling helpless, but we must focus on the healing work we CAN do.
That’s both the beauty and the really hard thing about grief. You can’t fix it. Nothing can change what has happened. Instead, we have to sit with it, let the pain be heard. We can let it be our teacher. We must listen, understand, and move through the pain in a way that honors it so we can heal.
In order to do this, we must be healthy individuals. When we are unhealthy - not just unhealthy physically, but tapped out mentally, emotionally, and spiritually - we are much more likely to be pushed beyond our breaking point. Invest in your health and well-being. Focus on self-care. Talk to a therapist. Participate in yoga, walking, or journaling regularly. Make meditation a part of your daily practice. Take the time to unplug, disconnect from the news and drama in the world, and give some rest to your soul. Go for a hike or whatever works for you as an individual. Don't let the troubles of the day control your behavior and actions.
If a simple request or light confrontation sends us into fight (or flight or freeze) mode, there is something deeper below the surface we need to address. We need to continue the work on ourselves so that we can keep showing up in the best version of ourselves - able to hold space for the pain and hurt of others instead of being the one hurt and causing pain.
We’ll have some tangible steps to do the work in the anti-racism revolution in our next post, Love Requires Action.