Day 4 of 7 of Drawing Gratitude: Friendship
Exploring the rewards of real, honest friendship.
GUT peeps! Hello.
We are on Day 4 of 7 days of drawing gratitude. If you are behind or just starting out, that’s great. No need to be in lockstep with the GUT gang. Go at your your own pace. All that matters is that we take a few minutes a day to practice gratitude through creativity. A little bit goes a long way. No rules in art.
Today, I am giving thanks for what is hopefully a move in the direction of a ceasefire and conversation between Israel and Hamas. Like most of us, the war is tearing me apart. It’s all terrible. And yes it IS complicated, and many of us are holding conflicting feelings about the big history and future of it all. But to be clear, this Jew has ZERO conflicting feelings about the how wrong it is to kill of thousands of innocent human lives (so. many. children.) on both sides - past, present and future - and how this war moves everyone in the wrong direction. I stand firmly on the side of humanity and peace, and I am deeply grateful for any movement towards Both/And.
Closely related, I am grateful for the friends I’ve had hard conversations with lately. I’m grateful for my loved ones who call people in, instead of out. It’s no coincidence that these are the same friends I feel safe having challenging, vulnerable conversations with all the time. Sometimes they are even about our own friendship. They aren’t easy. But these convos, as unfun and uncomfortable as they can be, always lead to growth, and a strengthening or our relationship. I feel fortune to have cultivated friendships that default to communication instead of silence. (Disclaimer: not all my friends love it! That’s fine. There are many different kinds of friends.) It’s not easy. It certainly isn't easy for me. But it is always, always, worth the leap.
So today, let’s spend a few minutes drawing a little gratitude for deep, real, always-growing friendships. The ones that aren’t always easy and light and fun, but are 110% worth the effort.
But first, a poem. This one is titled “Alone” by the great Maya Angelou:
Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don’t believe I’m wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.There are some millionaires
With money they can’t use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They’ve got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alright, let’s draw.
Day 4 Assignment: Gratitude for Friendship
Here are portraits of two beautiful friends I’ve had impactful conversations with, and whose opinions and perspectives I value deeply. They are both strong activists and organizers in very different ways. They both call people in without compromising their values, and lead with love, even when it feels like fire. Most of all, they are solid forever friends.