Prajna, 🙏🙏 😊🥰! They will and can no longer break me. I have liberated myself for authoritarian oppression once and I will engage in every way possible to help those I call my friends to liberate themselves from it too. Yet it might be possible the end result might look different as expected. I certainly surprised myself with what emerged.
I love this, Jay. I just published "Staying Put" I think I tagged you, as I am having powerful downloads through dreams, scary, destructive, and EMPOWERING. Stay with! I'm with you in this fire circle—roaring by your side.
Wow! What a conversation! I am in Awe of this exchange, and how it resonates with what we’re experiencing not only on a societal and collective but individual embodied level, which is where all resistance must begin and where it must stay centered. We need to take care of ourselves and resist the systems that poison our ability to care for ourselves, others, our communities. Thank you for sharing your hearts and minds, Aimee & Jay.
Thank you Amy. Yes, Jay's wisdom resounds so loudly. The reckoning we all need, if we're to meet and overcome this ghastly moment, begins within our own bodies. Listening to what we feel, heeding what we need, and taking clear aim at what we want, not only for ourselves but for all that we love. It can't be an outside-in proposition. But lighting that fire inside is so hard. Jay provides an ignition that is sorely needed and all too rare. I hope this conversation finds the wider readership it deserves.
Aimee, your words truly move me. Thank you for reflecting so deeply on the heart of this conversation. I’m grateful for how you’ve captured the challenge and necessity of turning inward—of listening to our bodies and honoring what we need, not just for ourselves but for all we care about.
It means a great deal to know that the exchange resonated so strongly. I agree: the reckoning we face can’t start from the outside. It’s the quiet, persistent work of tending to our own fires, even when it feels daunting. Your recognition of this struggle—and your encouragement—are gifts.
I hope, as you do, that these conversations ripple outward and help others find their own ignition. Thank you for your insight, your generosity, and for being part of this ongoing journey.
Amy, thank you so much for your thoughtful response and for sharing how deeply the conversation resonated with you. I completely agree—real resistance does begin at the embodied, individual level, and it’s so important to stay grounded there even as we confront larger systems.
Your words beautifully capture the challenge and necessity of caring for ourselves as an act of defiance and collective strength. I’m grateful you felt a connection to the exchange between Aimee and me, and I appreciate you bringing your insight and energy to this ongoing dialogue.
Here’s to nurturing ourselves and each other as we push back against what harms us—and to building stronger, more caring communities together.
I am so glad I had the time to read through this entire exchange between you two this morning. Powerful exchanges of ideas, thoughtful responses, and a genuine love and respect for each other's knowledge and the sheer beauty of words. What a gift you both are.
I am curious though how many of you print out your posts and wonderful exchanges like this? As an avid reader of actual printed books, the thought that your words are dependent on electricity and the Internet to survive for the ages, horrifies me a bit. xx
Deborah, I am so glad this wonderful conversation between Aimee and me resonated with you. To your question, I do have a program called Reflect.app and I actually save not just the link, but a whole text by one click to my "second brain", if it is as meaningful as this conversation.
They are an amazing still independent small start-up and what I like, I finally can store everything in one place without creating folders etc. working with backlinks
Jay, so good to know there is some there out there that enables you to save these texts so easily! Do you print them out for a hard copy as well? I am an old school reader/writer that prefers to read on paper with a pencil in hand. It feels more permanent as well to see the words printed on paper. Granted, we can't save everything, but any posts I'm particularly moved by, (of which there are many!) I like to print hard copies of to reread.
Deborah, my fourth printer in a row broke down—each time from sitting idle too long and clogging up. So now I no longer own one. I do almost everything digitally now, and honestly, I’ve come to feel grateful for that. I’ll need to relocate within a year, will possibly even go abroad, and having everything saved digitally means I can access it anywhere—and it’s safely backed up on my computer. With two suitcases I'd never be able to carry it with me.
That is so true. I'm glad you have that security and comfort with technology. I am sorry to hear about your printers though, but not surprised as I've struggled with them as well especially these last 10 years or so. I know you have been planning to move abroad for quite some time now, and I hope it can happen for you despite your many obstacles. I am hoping to move abroad as well, but continue to gather and nest even though I recognize the futility of it while I'm doing it. I know I won't fit much into my two suitcases either, but hopefully when the time comes I can actually make the move, I'll embrace it and not look back.
Deborah, I am wondering, what would help you find more comfort and security with new technologies? I am a digital native since 1981 and helped quite a look of people feeling more comfortable…
It's not do much a lack of comfort or security with technology, it is more a love of the feeling of holding a pencil in my hand and the soft sounds of my pencil gliding across my page, seeing the words take shape and feeling the pencil between my fingers or the typewriter keys on my fingertips and the tinkle of the margin bell...my phone and keyboard have never given me that tactile feel and joy that writing in a journal does. And sadly, my comprehension while reading on my phone or laptop fails me. So not a lack technologies but rather a dislike of the gold nature of them. As right now, I would much rather be sitting and chatting with you than typing all this out. Sigh… I'm an old-fashioned kind of girl. Well, at 64, maybe not a “girl” but I definitely like the old ways. I was born an old soul through and through.
Deborah, I wrote with a fountain pen on paper—over 130 sixty-five-page notebooks in a year and a half. Eventually, I started sharing my journals with my coach. I wrote so much she said she couldn’t keep up. We talked about what might help. Digitizing and summarizing came up. So I switched to digital journaling, and now I often journal by voice—an actual stream of consciousness. Then I analyze and summarize so I can share with my therapists. It’s proven helpful, especially when a lot is happening in my life.
Jay, you are a wonderment! 130 sixty-five-page journals in a year! Oh how I would love to read those too! I love reading handwritten essays (a rare thing to find these days of course) and have a collection of antique fountain pens and inkwells as well as two 1920s Royal typewriters that I write with occasionally when I want to slow my thoughts down. I have several journals as well, that are scattered throughout my house and totally unorganized in any fashion. Kind of like my writing these days which if you visit my Substack page you'll note I haven't published anything beyond notes in over two years. Too much noise to focus. I love your idea of talking to text though, how fascinating! How do you record that? An app? Just using a phone microphone? I'm intrigued.
Powerful conversation. Thank you for putting words to what I feel in my gut and bones every day. I could quote back so many powerful lines, but chose these:
"What I’ve come to understand is this: cruelty doesn’t need consensus to spread. It needs exhaustion. Disbelief. And disconnection. What we’re called to now is something far more difficult than outrage—it is a collective reckoning. One that begins with remembering that no one’s humanity should ever hinge on usefulness."
Laura, I’m humbled and grateful that this conversation between Aimee and me, and the words that came through her prompting, find such resonance in you. It means a lot to know these ideas land and move beyond me.
Aimee, thank you. I carry your words with care. When you name my words are worth sharing, I feel both humbled and alert. This thread means something because we meet here honestly, and stay present—through complexity, not around it. xo Jay
Also because each layer pulls deeper, reminding us that all these issues are interconnected, none is simple, and each impacts our collective humanity in ways that far too few of us take the time to acknowledge as we rush to the next chore or post or note or video. Thank you Jay, for packing so much care and mindfulness into your responses.
Jay, your words have always been a wonderment for me. I have been so overwhelmed by life these past 6-8 months that I haven't taken the time to respond as I would like to, but I am always here reading, watching, and listening with awe to every single word you write. xx
Deborah, I feel humbled. Can you tell me what truly helps you feel less overwhelmed? And what feels missing in the sources you read—what leaves you circling, maybe even adds to the weight? I carry several ideas right now, and your answer would genuinely support me in sensing what kind of content could meet you where you are—or fill a gap that still aches.
Aimee and Jay, two of my favorite minds and hearts in this space, how wonderful to see your mind melding here. I haven’t dove into your exchange yet but just to say I will & am excited to do so. I know I will be expanded in the process.
Truth, truth, truth that is embodied, informative, and joins us in a solidarity that can't be broken. Powerful!
Thank you Aimee and Jay.
Prajna, 🙏🙏 😊🥰! They will and can no longer break me. I have liberated myself for authoritarian oppression once and I will engage in every way possible to help those I call my friends to liberate themselves from it too. Yet it might be possible the end result might look different as expected. I certainly surprised myself with what emerged.
I love this, Jay. I just published "Staying Put" I think I tagged you, as I am having powerful downloads through dreams, scary, destructive, and EMPOWERING. Stay with! I'm with you in this fire circle—roaring by your side.
Thank you Prajna, I just commented on Staying Put.
Many thanks for reading and recognizing the power in these words 🙏🏼💙. Jay is a truly wise soul.
🙏🥰
Oh yes, beyond measure. I am proud to call jay friend and glad to meet you Aimee.
Wow! What a conversation! I am in Awe of this exchange, and how it resonates with what we’re experiencing not only on a societal and collective but individual embodied level, which is where all resistance must begin and where it must stay centered. We need to take care of ourselves and resist the systems that poison our ability to care for ourselves, others, our communities. Thank you for sharing your hearts and minds, Aimee & Jay.
Thank you Amy. Yes, Jay's wisdom resounds so loudly. The reckoning we all need, if we're to meet and overcome this ghastly moment, begins within our own bodies. Listening to what we feel, heeding what we need, and taking clear aim at what we want, not only for ourselves but for all that we love. It can't be an outside-in proposition. But lighting that fire inside is so hard. Jay provides an ignition that is sorely needed and all too rare. I hope this conversation finds the wider readership it deserves.
Aimee, your words truly move me. Thank you for reflecting so deeply on the heart of this conversation. I’m grateful for how you’ve captured the challenge and necessity of turning inward—of listening to our bodies and honoring what we need, not just for ourselves but for all we care about.
It means a great deal to know that the exchange resonated so strongly. I agree: the reckoning we face can’t start from the outside. It’s the quiet, persistent work of tending to our own fires, even when it feels daunting. Your recognition of this struggle—and your encouragement—are gifts.
I hope, as you do, that these conversations ripple outward and help others find their own ignition. Thank you for your insight, your generosity, and for being part of this ongoing journey.
Amy, thank you so much for your thoughtful response and for sharing how deeply the conversation resonated with you. I completely agree—real resistance does begin at the embodied, individual level, and it’s so important to stay grounded there even as we confront larger systems.
Your words beautifully capture the challenge and necessity of caring for ourselves as an act of defiance and collective strength. I’m grateful you felt a connection to the exchange between Aimee and me, and I appreciate you bringing your insight and energy to this ongoing dialogue.
Here’s to nurturing ourselves and each other as we push back against what harms us—and to building stronger, more caring communities together.
Thank you both. Hope. Hope. Hope.
Nancy, I am glad you found Aimee's and my conversation helpful and sparking a bit of hope.
I am so glad I had the time to read through this entire exchange between you two this morning. Powerful exchanges of ideas, thoughtful responses, and a genuine love and respect for each other's knowledge and the sheer beauty of words. What a gift you both are.
I am curious though how many of you print out your posts and wonderful exchanges like this? As an avid reader of actual printed books, the thought that your words are dependent on electricity and the Internet to survive for the ages, horrifies me a bit. xx
Deborah, I am so glad this wonderful conversation between Aimee and me resonated with you. To your question, I do have a program called Reflect.app and I actually save not just the link, but a whole text by one click to my "second brain", if it is as meaningful as this conversation.
How amazing! I’ve never heard of Reflect, but I’m going to try it. Thank you again, Jay!
https://reflect.app
They are an amazing still independent small start-up and what I like, I finally can store everything in one place without creating folders etc. working with backlinks
Jay, so good to know there is some there out there that enables you to save these texts so easily! Do you print them out for a hard copy as well? I am an old school reader/writer that prefers to read on paper with a pencil in hand. It feels more permanent as well to see the words printed on paper. Granted, we can't save everything, but any posts I'm particularly moved by, (of which there are many!) I like to print hard copies of to reread.
Deborah, my fourth printer in a row broke down—each time from sitting idle too long and clogging up. So now I no longer own one. I do almost everything digitally now, and honestly, I’ve come to feel grateful for that. I’ll need to relocate within a year, will possibly even go abroad, and having everything saved digitally means I can access it anywhere—and it’s safely backed up on my computer. With two suitcases I'd never be able to carry it with me.
That is so true. I'm glad you have that security and comfort with technology. I am sorry to hear about your printers though, but not surprised as I've struggled with them as well especially these last 10 years or so. I know you have been planning to move abroad for quite some time now, and I hope it can happen for you despite your many obstacles. I am hoping to move abroad as well, but continue to gather and nest even though I recognize the futility of it while I'm doing it. I know I won't fit much into my two suitcases either, but hopefully when the time comes I can actually make the move, I'll embrace it and not look back.
Deborah, I am wondering, what would help you find more comfort and security with new technologies? I am a digital native since 1981 and helped quite a look of people feeling more comfortable…
It's not do much a lack of comfort or security with technology, it is more a love of the feeling of holding a pencil in my hand and the soft sounds of my pencil gliding across my page, seeing the words take shape and feeling the pencil between my fingers or the typewriter keys on my fingertips and the tinkle of the margin bell...my phone and keyboard have never given me that tactile feel and joy that writing in a journal does. And sadly, my comprehension while reading on my phone or laptop fails me. So not a lack technologies but rather a dislike of the gold nature of them. As right now, I would much rather be sitting and chatting with you than typing all this out. Sigh… I'm an old-fashioned kind of girl. Well, at 64, maybe not a “girl” but I definitely like the old ways. I was born an old soul through and through.
Deborah, I wrote with a fountain pen on paper—over 130 sixty-five-page notebooks in a year and a half. Eventually, I started sharing my journals with my coach. I wrote so much she said she couldn’t keep up. We talked about what might help. Digitizing and summarizing came up. So I switched to digital journaling, and now I often journal by voice—an actual stream of consciousness. Then I analyze and summarize so I can share with my therapists. It’s proven helpful, especially when a lot is happening in my life.
Jay, you are a wonderment! 130 sixty-five-page journals in a year! Oh how I would love to read those too! I love reading handwritten essays (a rare thing to find these days of course) and have a collection of antique fountain pens and inkwells as well as two 1920s Royal typewriters that I write with occasionally when I want to slow my thoughts down. I have several journals as well, that are scattered throughout my house and totally unorganized in any fashion. Kind of like my writing these days which if you visit my Substack page you'll note I haven't published anything beyond notes in over two years. Too much noise to focus. I love your idea of talking to text though, how fascinating! How do you record that? An app? Just using a phone microphone? I'm intrigued.
Powerful conversation. Thank you for putting words to what I feel in my gut and bones every day. I could quote back so many powerful lines, but chose these:
"What I’ve come to understand is this: cruelty doesn’t need consensus to spread. It needs exhaustion. Disbelief. And disconnection. What we’re called to now is something far more difficult than outrage—it is a collective reckoning. One that begins with remembering that no one’s humanity should ever hinge on usefulness."
Laura, I’m humbled and grateful that this conversation between Aimee and me, and the words that came through her prompting, find such resonance in you. It means a lot to know these ideas land and move beyond me.
Yes, we all want to be heard--especially in this time of exhaustion, it's wonderful to read something that helps me stay awake to it all.
Much appreciated, Laura! Jay's perspective and prose are too important not to share!
Aimee, thank you. I carry your words with care. When you name my words are worth sharing, I feel both humbled and alert. This thread means something because we meet here honestly, and stay present—through complexity, not around it. xo Jay
Also because each layer pulls deeper, reminding us that all these issues are interconnected, none is simple, and each impacts our collective humanity in ways that far too few of us take the time to acknowledge as we rush to the next chore or post or note or video. Thank you Jay, for packing so much care and mindfulness into your responses.
🙏
Laura, my thoughts exactly and the same quote I saved to share. Powerful.
Deborah, I am grateful and humbled our words have been of benefit to you. Thank you.
Jay, your words have always been a wonderment for me. I have been so overwhelmed by life these past 6-8 months that I haven't taken the time to respond as I would like to, but I am always here reading, watching, and listening with awe to every single word you write. xx
WONDERMENT! That is the perfect word to describe Jay's reflections! I'm in total agreement!
Both of you truly humble me right now.
We speak the truth. xx
Thank you! Yes, it was the first word that came to mind and I just went with it.
Deborah, I feel humbled. Can you tell me what truly helps you feel less overwhelmed? And what feels missing in the sources you read—what leaves you circling, maybe even adds to the weight? I carry several ideas right now, and your answer would genuinely support me in sensing what kind of content could meet you where you are—or fill a gap that still aches.
Aimee and Jay, two of my favorite minds and hearts in this space, how wonderful to see your mind melding here. I haven’t dove into your exchange yet but just to say I will & am excited to do so. I know I will be expanded in the process.
Amy, I am grateful for your words. I cherish you and enjoy every exchange with you.
Thank you Amy. I believe it will resonate. Jay is a stunning correspondent!
Aimee, you know, I am able to answer like that because you are and made it possible.