Holding Softness in a Violent World

I started this business because I needed a place to breathe.

I have always been political. I pay attention. I care deeply. I know how to read history, power, and patterns. And at some point, the constant churn of violence, cruelty, and manufactured outrage made it clear that if I didn’t create a place of steadiness for myself, I would burn out entirely.

Dabbling Dreamer was never about pretending the world was fine. It was about learning how to live inside it without losing myself. Lately, though, the disconnect has been impossible to ignore.

It feels absurd to talk about calming rituals and grounding practices while families are being ripped apart, citizens are being murdered, and atrocities are happening in real time, often with the blessing of the systems meant to protect us. It feels dishonest to offer peace without naming what is actively causing harm.

So let me be clear.

I do not believe in neutrality.

I do not believe in spiritual bypassing.

And I do not believe that softness means silence.

Softness is not compliance.

Care is not cowardice.

And choosing beauty does not mean we stop naming violence.

I believe in holding whimsy and rage at the same time.

Whimsy is how we remember what we are fighting for.

Rage is how we recognize that something is deeply wrong.

One without the other collapses. Together, they create endurance.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, numb, furious, or exhausted... you are responding appropriately to an unjust world. The answer is not to shut down your feelings or polish them into something more palatable. The answer is to tend yourself enough to stay engaged.

My best advice right now is this:

Hold tightly to your whimsy.

Hold tightly to your rage.

Build your skillset.

Fortify your community.

Ritual, art, rest, and reflection are not escapes. They are tools. They are how we stay clear-headed, connected, and capable. They are how we avoid becoming exactly what these systems want us to be: isolated, exhausted, and hopeless. Don't let them win.

This space will continue to offer softness—but not the kind that asks you to look away. The kind that keeps you rooted while you stand your ground.

If there is one thing history teaches us, it’s this: community is what carries people through collapse, change, and resistance. Not perfection. Not purity. Not going it alone.

We don’t need more heroes. We need more neighbors.

5 Ways to Get Involved Locally (Right Now)

You don’t have to do everything. Start where you are.

• Learn who holds power locally. City council, school boards, sheriffs, judges—these roles matter more day-to-day than national headlines.

• Support mutual aid efforts. Food banks, community fridges, bail funds, and local organizers are doing real work right now.

• Show up consistently. Attend meetings, vote in local elections, volunteer your time or skills—even a little regularly matters.

• Build relationships, not just opinions. Talk to people. Know your neighbors. Strong communities are relational, not theoretical.

• Protect your capacity. Rest, ritual, and care are not indulgences—they are how you stay in this for the long haul.

  
  

You are not powerless. And you are not alone.