THIS IS FOR ALL THE MOMS
photo: Casi Yost Photo
Some things that are on my mind …
On the eve of starting another job that we would never have thought we could manage, or would be asked to do.
This is for all the moms.
I know the dads also have this responsibility, but I’m not talking to you.
This isn’t about the dads.
And God help them, they aren’t us. They are the lucky ones, because they have us.
We are in the middle of a global pandemic. Anything that we thought we were going to accomplish this year was thrown out the window. And so we stocked up. We put our masks on and we made sure our families had what they needed. We stressed, and we baked, and we cried and we protected our kids. We struggled and got creative with our businesses, so they too could survive. We enjoyed our time at home, and felt guilty for enjoying anything. We’re a long way from the end of this, hang on, it will end. But not as soon as you would like it to. So plan for the long haul. Trust the scientists.
We are in the midst of an awakening about racial equality. Our hearts are hurting, and while they should have been hurting for a long time, the universe chose this moment for us to open our eyes and learn more, listen more, and do better. We have a long way to go to fully protect and lift up our Black brothers and sisters. We need to start now and commit more. Demand it of yourself and of your children.
We are living in a nightmare of political corruptness and injustice. Our planet and our country are being destroyed by a few power hungry individuals and we must use whatever energy we have left to talk to our friends and family and elected officials. Be polite but ruthless. Know the issues, do the research, read the newspaper. Give your time, often it is all we have to give.
We must use our protective internal force and spread our arms wide around our communities and our country. We must demand a healthier, safer, more stable future for our children. Write the damn letters, put the signs in your yard. The time is past to care what others think about you. VOTE.
Our state is burning. We can’t breathe. We can’t be indoors and we can’t be outdoors. And yet we must prepare for the start of online school as if everything is normal.
Nothing is normal.
But we don’t need normal, we weren’t made for easy. We are forces of nature, built of the elements and the stars. We will flow with the tides, and rage with the fire. And we will be the solid ground for our families and our future families to stand on.
In one short year we have had every ounce of our strength tested, and we have been tasked with the impossible. But we keep going. We don’t have any other option. Our kids need and deserve nothing less than everything we have.
Give your sisters some grace. Our mother sisters, our friend sisters, our teacher sisters, our nurse and doctor sisters, our scientist sisters, our elected sisters, our sisters that don’t look like us, and our sisters that don’t think like us. Give them the space and the grace to navigate this world the best they know how. We aren’t each going to get it right everyday, but we can try again tomorrow.
Know that you have help. I know you don’t want to ask for it, you think that we all have enough on our plates. But our plates are an endless space and there is enough food and love for everyone. There is a community around you reaching their hands out, take them when you need it.
And when you are feeling like you just don’t know how you can emotionally or physically handle one more trauma, or stress, or request, take a breath. Read a book. Drink wine. Fuck the emails, they can wait.
And go in with love.
Sincerely,
Chelsey, September 2020
PS - I may delete this later, and that is ok.
Written and shared with permission by Nasty Woman Chelsey Nichol, owner, Type A Press.
Chelsey is 4th generation owner in her families community newspaper, the News-Register. Her “day job” is printing letterpress and screen printing in a historic warehouse is downtown McMinnville. Her new project is an event venue, The Bindery Event Space, in the adjoining building. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, has two children in McMinnville schools and has never moved from her hometown. A graduate of Linfield College, where her love of politics and elections took hold, she watches too much CNN and reads whenever she can.
@typeapress