radical exhilaration

There is joy in this struggle.
I forget this. I know you do too. Fair enough.
But recently, I was in a conversation with a number of remarkable women, and I remembered. Because all of us there have been, lately, treading water in the sea of heartbreak--some at the shallow end, some dragged out in riptides of misfortune and disappointment. And there we were, talking about wrestling, dirty hands first, with vast and implacable monsters: oppression, silence, poverty, degradation. There we were, heads together with all our own troubles arrayed behind us, looking in the eye overwhelming tasks and looming labors, and you know what we were doing?
We were laughing.
We were shoulder to shoulder, and yes, serious, yes, resolute, yes, aware of the gravity of the proposition that we stand and deliver against a difficult world. But more than anything, we were laughing. I know I was just exhilarated. The troubles didn't go away. The darkness didn't fade out with a snap of the fingers. But suddenly, everything seemed possible, like we had a map, a compass, and a backpack full of hope to set off with, and I remembered that there is joy, fierce joy, in this fight.
Looking oppression in the eye, wrangling with it, is exhausting, demoralizing, disappointing. This world has an endless store of heartbreak to offer. But this struggle is not just about seriousness. It's not just about teeth set and righteous rage and the grief for those we lose, though those are all real and sharp.
It's about joy, too. The joy of knowing we're in this together, though we come from many angles and many streets. The joy of genuine solidarity. The joy of knowing that it can be done, and even if we won't see the sunrise, someone will, and we'll have helped. The fierce and long-burning joy of knowing that we have more fight left in us, and we won't be alone when we do it.
In this global struggle, there is the simple joy of feeling your blood sing in your veins with the knowledge that you're moving, and that the work is getting done. For all our setbacks, when we stand together, we do not only stand strong. We have more than toughness. We have more than dedication. We have laughter.

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