Some definitions

And a vision of possibility.

A cartoon or three

You might remember that last week I committed to some cartoon definitions of words of the moment. Words that allow us to see clearly. Here goes:

I’ll leave it to you, in whatever part of the world you are, to make judgements about what words or phrases do or do not apply.

I’ll be honest, while I had a bit of fun drawing these, finding the right image to clarify the definition was harder than I thought. I also didn’t love wallowing in the negative lens. After a super suggestion from Andrew Boyd (thank you!) I decided that each depressing definition has to be paired with a model of possibility.

In Australia, we need to pause for a moment and count our blessings. While there are certainly elements of crony capitalism and kakistocracy here, there are also many politicians who care deeply about the right thing and use all their energy to fight for the common good. Those people deserve our thanks and gratitude. It is easy to be cynical and poke fun at our pollies but they are the heart of the best worst system we have:

‘Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…’

Winston S Churchill, 11 November 1947

Many of us are cynical and disengaged. This disinterest allows a slow (or sometimes fast!) slide down the slope away from democracy. In Australia, we have a representative democracy; the more we engage with the mechanisms that exist within the current structure, the clearer our voices will be. It’s not just about casting a ballot every few years; it’s about staying curious, informed, and involved.

Historically, I’ve been rather bad at participating beyond voting and protesting; the chaos of 2025 is my invitation to turn down the volume on the US drama and turn up the volume on my local politics - the place where I have some agency.

Heading into election season here, let’s get engaged. You get to choose the thing you care most about, me too. Then we trust in the warp and weft of life that our individual passion and engagement turns into a beautiful tapestry of possibility.

I get a tingly feeling of anticipation and hope on election day here. I love that we all have to vote and that we get to vote on a Saturday. Voting is laid back, you bump into people in your community and you get to support a local group or school at a democracy sausage BBQ. So, for a distinctly Aussie reminder on why democracy is worth protecting:

If you are OS and still wondering what the heck a democracy sausage is, check out the DS wikipedia page :)

Glimmers and sparks*

My glimmers for today are:

• A rest day.

• A friend shared a lovely quote from Jo Chu, Director of Wicked, at the Golden Globes acceptance speech:

“…it shows us how important making this stuff is, in a time when pessimism and cynicism sort of rule the planet right now - that that we can still make art, that we can still make art that is a radical act of optimism, that is empowerment, and that is joy. And so when we discover that maybe the world isn't exactly the way we thought it was, that maybe we're a little bit Elphaba inside of us, that maybe that we have that courage, that strength to not give up, but to rise up and take the road off the yellow brick road, and maybe discover, we can fly.”

Jo Chu’s energy is wonderful, you can watch it here.

• Sunlight hitting a blue glass bottle I have on the window sill, just so.

Li’l bean is your reminder to pause and ask: What are your glimmers for today?

From your friend and your small, steadfast companion,

*Drawing Li’l Bean helped me navigate out of a period of depression in 2023. A good friend 13, 595km away, helped, too, through a ritual of swapping daily glimmers via text.

A glimmer is a tiny spark of hope, enthusiasm or joy that lifts your heart. By helping me find three glimmers each day, she gently helped me see the joy and beauty already around me.

I’d like to share this practice with you and invite you to reflect on your glimmers for the day when you read this. Think of Li’l Bean as a reminder to notice the glimmers and sparks in your life. We’d love it if you would like to share your glimmers in the comments or by hitting reply (if you don’t like sharing publicly).