Earlier today, I decided to go to Instagram to look at pretty things–flowers, poetry, art, and trees. What I found was beautiful–many, many posts and responses to racism and social injustice in this country. As I hoped and prayed that the posts serve purposes beyond “looks” and “likes,” I continued to scroll for a bit of loveliness. Sadly, there was little.
Today, on this yet again not-so-#WordlessWednesday, I’m writing to invite you to continue to share the pretty. It is indeed important to speak up and act against racism, social injustice, and violations of human rights and to encourage and hold the conversations–especially since in this particular moment of struggle we may finally birth something new and right. Continue to use social media as a platform to inform, educate, and express outrage, but I implore you to continue to share the other aspects of your life also. We need it. We need respite from the struggle and the trauma. Our lives, though full of pain, are also full of beauty and love.
About the image: I spotted the bright yellow “heart” above as the guys and I exited a nature trail last Friday. It spoke volumes. It speaks volumes.
Pics and Posts 
Wonderful, meaningful and simple photography.
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Thank you!
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We are so in need of this, thank you Chandra. Hugs and prayers. 🙂
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Hugs right back…And definitely, praying…
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Well said Chandra. We need to remember that life is beautiful and there is joy in simple things. That simple leaf invoked so much emotions in you……. that’s being alive!
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Indeed! Thank you for reading. The leaf was crying to be noticed–all bright and yellow against the dark browns and blacks of the decaying forest floor.
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I so much agree with you. We need to express outrage in these times and also talk about the beauty of life at the same time. So nice of you to spot the lone leaf on the ground. Sending of loads of love to you, Chandra 🙂
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Thanks for your agreement. Love to you as well.
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A beautiful message
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Thank you.
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Thank you for this post! I had been struggling with the things that I wanted to post about but thanks for the reminder to keep posting things that bring you joy. Because life is more than just pain and suffering but there is also joy. Lovely picture!
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Thank you for reminding us to post about the things that bring us joy because there is still a place for that too! I definitely will be posting about things that bring me joy!
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Wonderful! I look forward to reading your posts!
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Thank you for this post , Chandra. I am finding it difficult to write today. I should post something. I desperately want to write something to express my own disgust at the racism and injustice on show recently. But I don’t feel qualified to do so and am not even sure if my input as a white guy would be welcome. But at the same time I don’t want to seem like I am doing nothing as that just, wrongly, suggests acceptance. So I am basically heartsick & confused and I don’t know what to do for the best. Sending a hug.
And I love the photo!
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Thank you for your candor. I understand well the need to do and/or say something. Perhaps, you can do as I’ve seen some other “white guys” do on their blogs: share the words of the oppressed (reblog; link to an opinion piece, repost an IG post, etc.) until you feel sure of your own words. You can also contribute to one of the causes or be a listening, empathetic ear. Thanks for loving the photo. 🙂
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Thank you. I tried to put something together echoing my words here but just linked to some useful resources.
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“Our lives, though full of pain, are also full of beauty and love.”
We have to hold on to the beauty and love, and as bloggers/writers I feel it’s our responsibility to bring hope to this world that is so torn at this point of time.
Thank you for this hopeful post. It really picked me up. As this week my post was one where I shared my pain.
https://natashamusing.com/2020/06/save-our-environment-wordlesswednesday-worldenvironmentday2020/
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I agree. We have to blog responsibly. Discuss the difficult but balance it with the other aspects of life.
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