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Dear Reader,

I think it’s safe to say that the state of the world, our country, and my home state of Minnesota (okay, now Wisconsin, though after so many years in Minnesota I consider myself a “dual resident” lol) are all moving through massive transition and upheaval. To put it mildly.

After weeks of trying to navigate social media and the news, with the last several days in particular being especially upsetting, I’ve been asking myself a familiar question: What am I supposed to do?

Is the right thing to watch every single video so I don’t “look away”? Is it to step back entirely to preserve my sanity and energy? Is it some imperfect combination of both?

And then there’s this: what happens when we ingest so much hate?

It’s deeply unsettling.

I find myself grieving. A lot. For individuals. For communities. For the state, the country, the world.

I have to believe that something good will eventually emerge from this chaos. But in the meantime? For those of us who aren’t drawn to protesting, it can feel incredibly helpless to sit back and seemingly wait for things to get better… or worse.

I keep coming back to a teaching I learned years ago from Dr. Wayne Dyer (those of you who know me know I was devoted to his humor, wisdom, and no-nonsense perspective). He taught that one of the hardest things we can do is this:

Send love in response to hate.

What does that actually mean?

To me, it means exactly what it sounds like.

When encountering a hateful person, situation, post, or comment rather than meeting it with the same energy, we pause. We breathe. And we intentionally send love from our hearts to theirs.

To everyone. Yes, even those we deeply disagree with. Even those we believe are causing harm. Even those whose words or actions feel unbearable.

Is it easy? Absolutely not. In fact, it’s one of the hardest practices I know. It requires an in-the-moment shift from:

“I CANNOT BELIEVE THEY SAID / DID / ARE THAT”

to:

“I don’t know what happened in their life to bring them here, but I can send love to the part of them that is still whole and good.”

I believe we are all born good. Somewhere along the way, life shapes us - sometimes toward compassion and care, sometimes toward fear, competition, and harm. Different paths, different outcomes.

I’ve noticed how miserable I become when I’m doom-scrolling, gasping at the state of things. Little by little, I’ve had to take a step back and widen the lens. I see people standing up for those who can’t. I see voices raised through protest and struggle. And yes—I also see people meeting hate with more hate.

What if, instead, we chose something else?

• We can choose to send love in response to the hatred overflowing right now.
• We can choose to imagine people and situations surrounded by light.
• We can choose to want healing and wholeness even for those we’d call our “enemies.”

It genuinely changes how we feel. And rather than adding to the heavy, low energy already present, we contribute something steadier, kinder, and more grounding. As hokey as that might sound, I truly believe it matters.

One very practical way to do this is through loving-kindness meditation (also known as metta). I’m a longtime admirer of Jack Kornfield, and if you’re curious, here’s a beautiful guided practice:

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This kind of practice can bring up a lot, so please be gentle with yourself. Compassion starts at home. With us, in our own hearts.

As for me, I’m doubling down on this approach. The world has enough hate right now without me contributing to it. I’ll keep checking in on our elderly neighbors. I’ll keep tending my soul’s work. And I’ll keep sharing love wherever I can.

And when I falter *which I do, regularly), I’ll try again. Slipping out of fear, frustration, and anxiety… and back into love, compassion, and kindness.

Reader, I’m not entirely sure if this is helpful, but I needed to give voice to what I’ve been experiencing, and to what I believe might help in some small way.

With care,
Andrea

P.S. I’m leading a mini-retreat at Healing Roots in River Falls, WI at theend of February. Come join me for a soulful little experience. No matter our age, now is the time to get our affairs in order. It's the kindest thing we can do for those we leave behind, as well as for ourselves.

​Graceful Exit Mini-Retreat: a A practical retreat for the soulful planner.​