Wake Up

Maya Angelou has famously said: "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."

There are many lessons I've learned so far.  One of the most important is that life will always provide opportunity to learn and grow, if you're listening.  When you don't listen, life will keep offering up more opportunities to learn, at times, with growing intensity.  

There are many things we have both collectively and individually known for quite some time.  Some of us chose to forget early on.  Some of us still remember, but may not choose to do something about it, out of fear.  Perhaps for these people, the stakes have not yet been high enough.  

Years upon years of these choices lead us to this moment, where the circumstances we have built and permitted all around us have become so destructive that they will no longer be ignored.  

In contrast, I know that many have been listening and learning and growing their whole lives, and that courage and humility deserves praise.  In the midst of so much pain, I am heartened to see even more listening now.  For me, too, I have been listening in new ways, and been open to learning and adjusting daily.  I still have hope, for myself and others.  There are still many choices to be made. 

With everything going on across every facet on life, we are all being called to reflect deeply, have the courage to commit to a change in ourselves, hold others to a higher standard, and DO better. 

If we don't, we will just keep being reminded.  Who knows what a next reminder would look like.