How the F*CK is it still January?!?
February 1, 2025I have felt lucky to begin my last three New Years with adventures. Twice I have celebrated by running Lava Falls (the biggest rapid on the Grand Canyon) amidst some of the best people I have come to meet on this planet. Last year it was the start of my 100 day adventure in Central America that led me to 5 countries and countless new friendships. These adventures have been a shot of hope allowing me to confidently walk into the uncertainty of the incoming year. A memory that I can return to as the as the worries piled on.
However, just like in those previous three years, as the year progresses the shot of hope wears down and worries have begun to pile on alongside the growing gray despair of clouds hugging the earth. January becomes less about a new beginning and more about “oh not again…” and. This feeling was perfectly captured yesterday in this this Reel I shared to my instagram story:
Luckily we have now passed that great threshold that holds us captive from the hopeful spring months, but oh my IT’S ONLY February!?!? How can so much happen in just one month?!? Especially so much bad…
America is falling more and more from being a world leader to world laughing stock as we become everything we fought so hard against. The ideals that i thought were self-evident “that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness?” are failing here at home. It feels to me as if our President has decided that “the only people who are people are the people who look and think like him.” and because of this faux leadership I now have friends that are worried about the security of their future rights to marry who they love. I have friends who have lost job offers to work selflessly (and severely underpaid) inside our national parks. And I see many people, myself included, who are worried about the treatment of their neighbors and family members who primarily speak any language that isn’t English. I have so many questions that I would want to ask the other side but it really comes down “What are you so afraid of that when you see people living joyous and lovingly you feel pulled closer to hatred instead of love?”
I’m working hard at reminding myself that I have to see the joys. I have to be like Waymond in Everything Everywhere All at Once so that even when “You tell me it’s a cruel world, and we’re all just running around in circles. I know that. I’ve been on this earth as many days as you. When I choose to see the good side of things, I’m not being naive. This is how I fight.”
And my friends there is so much to fight for. I have been keeping a log of my delights this week and while I was gonna wait til Monday to share, it felt right to share them now. This is what I’m fighting for:
- Anytime adults go about playing like kids. Like at the see-saw where I happened to be journaling on Wednesday.
- When a friend is vulnerable to share what is going on in their life. As i learned from Simon Sinek, I would feel hurt if you robbed me of the chance to take care of you.
- Listening to Woods by Bon Iver as a great loop. I think it was a YouTube comment that recommended i first open up woods in like 10 tabs and listen to it by starting to play each tab at a slightly different time. That first time was amazing and I have since returned to this at times of needing peace. I would also recommend once upon another time by Sara bareills for this. Do you have any recommendations?
- Reconnecting with people i thought I wouldn’t be talking to possibly ever again. I can’t say for everyone that you need to reach out and mend hurt relationships, but if that pull is strong enough, I think you should.
- Sitting down for dinner of Pasta and vegetables and Harrison pointed out the orchid that had just bloomed
- the poems that i found at the Urban Arts gallery - Border by Kendra Nuttall Okay by Lucas Figun Westbrook
- Bingo that we played at the taproom.
- A I believe in Corn Dogs flag.
- Calling my friends Livia and Devin in the same day!
- The Utah Symphony Orchestra playing Rite of Spring by Stravinsky and Desert Music by Steve Reich
- I watched interstellar and will write more about my feelings about that soon… ish… lots to unpack
- Ran around with Harrison and saw many fun little free libraries and even this weird pigeon wearing a hat
- I got to spend so much time creating postcards and other art projects. :)
- I went to art galleries that made let me see how people of all cultures and backgrounds are expressing themselves and their beauty in this tumultuous time. Recommendations include: atis rezistans ghetto biennale/Salt 16/Portrait of Ross
I know these things aren’t direct action in the fight against the growing oppression and uncertainty of our future. But if I don’t choose to see the good, I will lose all energy to keep fighting. As my best friend Jay has told me. “The best form of protest is to LIVE.” So please live your truth. However that may manifest itself. Go find the places where you are celebrated, not just tolerated, and please never accept shame from others for being the loving person you are. From there we will organize our love and continue to uplift our communities. It’s only February. How will you answer this question?
“In the alley, there is a bright pink flower peeking out through the asphalt.
A: it looks like futility,
B: it looks like hope.”
- Amy Krause Rosenthal
I will forever choose B. I hope you do to and that you share it with me.
I love you,
Dan Regalado
P.S - If you’re having a hard time in uncomfortable conversations with people who differ from you, or are looking for some helpful frameworks of how to move into the unknown of our current times, I recommend the following books: