Letter from the Director: Care for When Everything is Awful
Philippe
Hey Y’all,
This month marks one year since I stepped into a leadership position with the Coalition. Which is hard to believe. A year, already?!? It’s still 2020, right?
The first letter I ever wrote y’all was full of hope and metaphors about what had been planted and harvested from my garden. This year I haven’t even planted my garden yet, which feels like a metaphor in its own way.
A lot has happened, is happening.
I’ve been thinking about this graphic Lindsay Braman made way back in July of 2020 when Teton Valley was in the early stages of Covid. And how we can’t seem to ever get out of the Disillusionment stage because awful things keep happening.
How do I, how do we as an organization, support and promote mental health and wellness when the world seems to be on fire all the time? Shouting about self-care seems naive and asking folks to participate in community care feels unrealistic considering how burned out we all are.
And yet, we need each other, healthy practices, and supportive systems more than ever if we are going to get to Reconstruction.
Here at the Coalition, we want to help construct a Teton Valley that’s resilient, connected, and supported. Which means having some hard conversations and doing some things differently. This isn’t always comfortable and for sure isn’t easy.
I’ve had to learn how to: say no; take risks saying, posting, and promoting content that isn’t always popular and sure to anger some folks; and lean into practicing and modeling policies that aren’t the norm or supported by everyone.
For those of you who have stuck through all that, who are still here reading and supporting us—thank you. Knowing we’re not alone, that there are folks walking with us, has meant the world to me.
We can’t do this work alone. We need every like, comment, and nod of agreement. As well as, every piece of feedback about where we missed the mark or caused harm.
Because that’s how we grow. And we want to grow into something big. Just like that garden I haven’t planted yet but am dreaming of.
Thanks for dreaming, creating, weeding, planting, and just surviving this past year with me. We all have a lot to be proud of.
