Sometimes Monday ...

... is a day to get up, take the lessons you've learned from a weekend of sadness, pondering, and wondering how to go on in a country where disdain and contempt for women is the norm, and move forward.

This letter from E.B. White, written in response to a man who had lost his faith in humanity has always helped me, and re-reading it helped me again after Mr. Kavanaugh's confirmation. 

Dear Mr. Nadeau:

As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.

Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society — things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man’s curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out.

Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.

Sincerely,

E. B. White

So by all means, hang on to your hat, your hope, and wind the clock, but we must also educate ourselves, vote, and volunteer (here, here, or here are just a few possibilities). Make sure that Mitch McConnell learns how very wrong he was when he blithely stated that "these things always blow over."