You know how sometimes we sensitive and empathic folks can pretend like we’re so strong and get lots of shit done and are all, LOOK AT ME, FUNCTIONING IN THE WORLD AS IF IT DOES NOT AFFECT ME DEEPLY FOR EVERY WAKING MOMENT OF THE DAY!????

Today is not one of those days.

There were 45 minutes of nonstop cell phone coverage captured by horrified people being shot (and shot at) in Las Vegas on Good Morning America this morning. By current counts, 59 people are dead in the country’s largest mass shooting to date, and 500+ are injured. Good morning, America.

3.4 million people are without power and over half of that count is without access to clean water in Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricane Maria. There are still long lines for dwindling amounts of things like food and basic being-a-human supplies.

Oh, and bonus. Tom Petty is dead.

No matter which day it is, I’ll bet you can put together three reasons to despair right now, and that’s when coping becomes an important life skill.

Let’s talk coping.

Let’s talk waves and coming up for air and how we recover from being taken down by grief and despair and hopelessness and fear and OH FUCK IT LET’S EAT CHEETOS-NESS.

Let’s talk about consciously making room to a.) let ourselves be human, and then b.) getting back to the work of making a better world for the living, even though binaries and rage are easier than love and softness and opening our hearts one more time.

Okay? Okay.

Also, this podcast episode was recorded between news stories #2 and #3 breaking, so you can bet your ass that I’ll be starting tomorrow with breathwork.  Again.

P.S. Joy is an act of resistance. Always.

Some words for when it all falls apart.