“Just show up!”

We hear it proclaimed from the corners of the liberal/progressive/ally internet, from activists and theologians of all kinds. It is a call to do the thing, and with that comes the danger of losing its power when folks don’t know how.

Just show up can be a prophetic charge or it can become an empty and performative act.

So, I wonder if we can reframe it a little, to something like this, that I share about in my new book, Living Resistance:

I am a human being. I am always arriving.

Let’s talk about arrival.

How have we arrived to ourselves? How are we still arriving? How do we arrive to our online spaces, our friendships, our work, our care? How are we acknowledging our humanness in all of it?

So, instead of showing up with this announcement of steps we will take and actions that will surely follow our new commitments, let’s try a gentler way that isn’t going to force us into burnout and performative works, but into real solidarity and sustainability that takes time.

That’s the struggle that we have today, so many people showing up without being ready to show up. Solidarity comes at a cost for so many of us, so if we are going to lean into one another’s stories and experiences with real care, let’s start with gentle and fierce truth-telling.

Let’s start with the power of our stories and a commitment to our own and one another’s well-being.

I think of the artists of our time, who remind us that, yes, it’s about showing up, but it’s about that soft arriving, too. It’s about taking what’s deep, deep inside us and letting it rise to the surface in inspired ways.

I write:

“The world feels like a terrifying place. It is difficult to write about resistance when we are all so weary in every way imaginable, and yet that's exactly where resistance matters. I have witnessed resistance in the form of art so many times and continue to live inspired by the artists who create for the sake of a better future. When the world is heavy with grief and unanswered questions, art is undoubtedly important. It points us toward resistance.”

So, where and how are you arriving? How are you acknowledging your humanness as you choose to arrive? Remember, we can embody both tenderness and fierceness at the same time; it is possible, it is beautiful, it is holy.

Subscribe now

Now, onto some exciting news & an opportunity to get more involved in helping launch Living Resistance into the world!

Announcing the #LivingResistance Review Team!

Join the review team and gather with other readers in a community to read the book and embody the principles.

Review team members will enjoy:
> access to an advanced copy of Living Resistance - be one of the first to read the book!
> an invitation to participate in guided discussion and formational practices with me through a weekly emails from January 31st - March 21st.
> a live book discussion with Kaitlin via Zoom.

Here’s how it will work. Pre-order a copy of Living Resistance from one of the links on my website.

Then, fill out this google form to get connected!

This is basically the first book club for my new book, so you won’t want to miss it!

Onward, friends, into the gift of arrival.

The Liminality Journal

Join the #LivingResistance Review Team!