Only Genuine Invitation Opens Us to Healing: 'The Keep Going Song'

If you haven't heard this before, I hope this blesses you. If you have heard it before, I hope you find it a blessing again.

One of our ordination residency trainers shared this in our opening session last month, and adrienne maree brown just brought it back for me.

When I initially saw it, I was fully prepared as soon as I saw the couple for this to be one those spiritually bypassing bullshit videos where two hipsters decide to make a cute vocal viral moment by glossing "happy thoughts" or "thoughts and prayers" as verbal and disconnected remedy to tangible tragedy.

I've unfortunately witnessed it too many times in the past decade, and I'm beyond through--although at this point, I have the resilience and wisdom to cut those messes off and just keep it moving. (To be both fair and thankful, I personally haven’t seen one of those for the pandemic. And I truly hope it remains that way.)

And when she hit that run going into the first verse—the way she touched her hand against her chest and went into her self-soul, the way singers do when they’re sanging, and not letting words and notes come out just because they sound pretty—that’s what made me say, “Well, let’s give it another minute because this could be something more than what it’s looking like from the front…”

Then, in the second verse, they open up into a full realness of this moment that is so rarely expressed. They’ve gone through their back story, and share with us that they’re okay.

And then she asks how we’re doing at this moment—in the sincere way that people do when they actually care, rather than as a standard empty greeting that demands a peremptory, “I’m good.” No, she asks—again, again, and still again—“Are you all right? Are you okay?” She wants us to answer, wants the genuine answer. Wants us to answer genuinely to ourselves.  Asks if we have a good lotion. (I for real was like, "I got that Gold Bond!"

She begins blesses us to have enough sleep, food, good company, and memories. A lot of us do this, and we’re telling someone what we hope happens for them so we don’t have to feel uncomfortable about their discomfort. But for her, it is honest blessing--more, I don't know if you have it, but I know that you should. I hope that you can get it. I hope that you receive what you need.

She closes her eyes, opens herself, reaches into her soul, and sends us blessing deeply and genuinely from her spirit.

Invites us to experience a bevy of emotions, and then invokes a melodic ritual of how we can bless and connect with one another regardless of what our particular experiences may be.

They don't insist we feel better, or tell us that we are better, but simply invite us to feel--Wherever we are, however we are, to be present and honest in our reality.

They offer no answers, and eschew any pretention of having any. Their clear and sincere intent is invitation to be present with our particular reality, and to be in some semblance of “together” while we express them. To be honest about our experiences and stories of this moment, whatever they and however we may be. That our collective is not that everyone has the same "shared" experience, simply that we all have and can share—and hear—the truth of our experiences.

Her closing is a hopeful blessing for how we grow forward from this moment—and that all we are to do, can do, is be and begin from wherever we are.

At a time when many folks who shouldn’t even be speaking are offering “answers” that don’t exist (which is annoying thing that “grown ups” do in general), it is refreshing, healing, and hopeful to hear someone simply say, “We don’t know. But here’s where we know to begin, to be right now. And you can join in with us if you’d like.”

For many people at this moment, the most we can do, and need to do, is simply be as we are. And this is a beautiful piece in which to be reminded of and grounded in that truth.

What other genuine invitations are we experiencing at this time? How are we receiving them to today or someday make our rough beginning, and not just allowing them to make us warm and fuzzy?

If you enjoy this piece in their work, I also encourage you to check out the beautiful interview they gave on their inspiration and process behind co-creating this genuine space of healing invitation. And also this super awesome song they co-wrote called ‘Hundred Days.’

And I hope that we are all as well as we can be. Amen and axè.