Whales and boobies

Taking more refuge in beauty

It’s a confusing, scary time in America, which I likely don’t need to tell you. So I’ve been a little quiet here in the online world, in part because there’s just so much coming at us. How to meet this noisy, catastrophic moment?, I keep asking. Past outrage and revulsion — assuming you are, like me, interested in democracy, freedom for all and world peace — what is the best response to what feels like a steamroller of oppression?

One thing I read today that was especially encouraging:

“An essential element of nonviolent resistance — particularly in cases of coups and authoritarian power grabs — is the withdrawal of cooperation. Coup-plotters, coup-makers and coup-profiteers are vulnerable to people power, and right now the unelected Musk is the most vulnerable,” writes Edward Hasbrouk in Waging Nonviolence, and goes on to explain that actions like the mounting number of #TeslaTakedown protests (and the upcoming ‘Buy Nothing Blackout’ on February 28) are worthy and necessary acts.

I’ve also been employing Resistbot on the near-daily, including while on vacation, and continue to read Chop Wood, Carry Water for tips and encouragement.

Things have felt especially dissonant because, personally, I’ve been doing well. I was very pleased that the ‘Flight Lessons’ show sold out…and then I flew to Oahu the following day for some rest and relaxation.

Normally, I’m not so worried about flying, but as we made our ascent I felt a mix of both gratitude — that I was able to take the trip — and fear about our sately. Due to the latest FAA layoffs and more than one plane crash in the news, I know my anxiety wasn’t totally unwarranted…but yikes. I spent the next several hours staving off my negative thoughts, and made sure to thank the pilot directly when we were safely on the ground.

After all the prep for both Flight Lessons and the most recent 19 Voices show, my big goal for my time on the island was to read a book! I had several titles downloaded on my iPad but the winning beach read turned out to be Neko Case’s new memoir The Harder I Fight The More I Love You. Candid and at times-heart-breaking, Case’s story of busting out of her circumstance, finding and sharing her powerful voice, and ultimately finding some healing, is inspiring and timely. Read it if you’re looking to bolster your hope and sense of the possible.

Speaking of a sense of the possible. Have you seen a whale jump out of the water?

Beyond Case’s pages, I spent a lot of time looking at the ocean during my time in Hawaii and whales were often in view. One day, we headed to Spitting Cave, a steep cliff east of Honolulu where locals and visitors alike gather to gaze at the vast Pacific (and jump into it, though that wasn’t our bag).

Loose assemblages of pelagic birds were also winging their way past — Sooty Terns and three different varieties of Booby — Masked, Red-footed and Brown. Boobies are big, with 5-foot wingspans, but even they seemed kind of little against the blue.

When we arrived, several Humpback Whales were feeding and spouting offshore, occasionally flashing their flukes and fins and even breaching.

“It’s amazing they can do that,” Kwame commented after catching sight of a jump. And it really is! A mature adult Humpback Whale can weigh anywhere between 50,000 and 80,000 pounds!! Talk about heavy lifting. And showing what’s possible. ¹

We arrived about an hour before sunset, and as we watched the sun lower, more and more people gathered, including a couple, who we soon realized were about to get married. We watched them pick their way carefully over the rocks along with an officiant and a couple of friends to a more private part of the cliff. I had to applaud their choice of a venue. As the sun set and the whales surfaced and the boobies flew by, the rest of the world and its problems seemed, and for a few minutes were, very far away.

1. After writing that last sentence I went and searched for videos of whales breaching on YouTube. This one is especially dramatic!