Hey APW,
In many ways it’s been another terrible week in news. Breonna Taylor’s murderers were not held accountable, because our system is designed to protect cops, not Black women sleeping in their beds. Our president said repeatedly that he wasn’t committed to a peaceful transfer of power—putting words to the darkest fear many of us had on that terrible day in November four years ago. Meanwhile, COVID cases are climbing in Europe, looking like a harbinger of the dreaded second wave.
I am at the point in 2020 where I found myself often emotionless, and I fully realize this is a trauma response. So many bad things have happened at such a rapid rate, turning our world into chaos, that my emotional glass is empty. And that feeling of heavy apathy and emotional numbness, is so much worse for me than the healthier feelings of rage or sorrow. And so many times this week I found myself reacting with a simple, “Oh,” when four years ago I would have been full of fight. And that, in itself, is profoundly disturbing.
But amidst all that, the smoke cleared for a week in California. They say it’s likely to roll back in Monday, but this week we’ve breathed clear air in big gulps. And the smoke cleared just in time, because last Friday night marked the beginning of the High Holy Days, the holiest part of the Jewish calendar. We went big on Rosh Hashanah, because being stuck at home, we knew we needed to still make it feel meaningful. So we interspersed our two days of Zoom prayer with two enormous meals, and a trip to the beach for tashlikh. Sunday night marks the start of Yom Kippur, a day of fasting and prayer, so we won’t be publishing on Monday, but we’ll be back with you on Tuesday.
In the meanwhile, here is your open thread. Discuss anything and everything.
L’shana Tova.
Meg
