Whether I’m leading a software development team or counseling someone, I hear myself telling people, “just sit with the feeling for a bit” and I mean it. Negative emotions such as sadness, anger, and even boredom can overwhelm people into thinking that the feeling is inescapable. But, if we learn to sit with them for a bit, often times, they’ll pass.
This morning, I had my own feelings with which I needed to sit. I had intended to run for santa fe school board this year. However, the board redistricted my neighborhood into a different district than the seat for which I intended to run. Made no sense — I live less than a mile from a high school in District 4, but now live in District 5 which encompasses a high school that’s four miles away. Now, four miles may not seem like much, but in Santa Fe, those four miles reflect a huge difference in economics and opportunities.
But what caused the feelings was an article in today’s newspaper that the incumbent is running for his seat, unopposed. Frustration rose inside of me, which then yielded to anger. How could no one run against him? Makes no sense to me. I wanted to serve, but now have to wait two years before the District 5 seat is up for re-election.
So, I sat with the feelings for a bit. I let them surge without judgment and like the clouds overhead, they dissipated after a while. Yes, I’m frustrated that no one is running against the incumbent, but that’s the way it goes, sometimes. With the latest school board fiasco, people should realize that the schools serve an important function. They’re not just about reading and writing, but in my opinion, they should also teach students to challenge the reality in which they live to find their truth.
Really, though, in my reality, the truth is that I am a political outsider. I am no one’s politician. However, I care so much about my community that when it hurts, I hurt. Right now, Santa Fe is hurting. Those are emotions with which I need to sit, over and over again, as they dissipate and return.
But even as they return, I find hope that perhaps my community can also understand how its role shapes our collective world. We need to sit with our feelings let them pass, but in letting them pass, we should understand them and find some actionable truth. Emotions are signals. That’s it. They tell us to find their source and then act. Two years is a long time, but maybe in that time I’ll learn about my new district and find my platform.
