I recently found myself in front of these doors to an internal passageway in a Chicago hotel. The signs on them stopped me in my tracks. I thought, "Wait. Which door should I use? Am I exiting or entering? Does it matter?" I finally decided not to worry whether I was coming or going and followed the tip to USE THIS DOOR.
I'm back in Brooklyn now and those doors are still on my mind – probably because they symbolize the dilemma I find myself in these days: I want to move forward – do something that will help to ensure a good life for my family, for our country, and for the world. But what can I do? Is there a “right” choice – or even a good one? Where can I find a tip telling me which door to use?
I don't have to tell you that we are living in a hard time. We're fortunate to have roofs over our heads and enough food to eat, but the bad news coming at us from all directions can be very hard to take. And although we may not say it out loud, even the most selfless among us sometimes feel that this just isn't fair! After working so hard in our careers – and clocking a second shift if we raised families – we might have expected a future that was a little less stressful.
None of us can predict what will happen tomorrow, let alone a decade from now. But here’s how I see things. We have weathered storms before. Every one of us has seen hard times, and we’ve carried others through them. That strength is still within us, and it has something to do with hope.
Hope isn’t about denial; pretending that everything is fine. Hope is about choosing to keep going, both individually and together. It’s calling a friend when the news feels unbearable. It’s showing up for a march, or writing a letter, or supporting a cause that matters to us. It’s holding fast to kindness when the world seems to encourage cruelty. Every small act is a reminder that as long as we are alive, we are powerful.
Let’s lean on each other. Let’s laugh when we can, cry when we need to, and keep reminding one another that we are not alone.
We are strong women. And while we can’t control the whole world, we can control how we show up—for ourselves, for one another, and for the generations coming after us. Nothing that's happening right now is preventing us from helping to shape a better tomorrow. As Nelson Mandela once said, it always seems impossible until it's done.
With love and faith in us,
Darla
Darla Hastings
Executive Director