“Micro joys helps us deal with macro sadness,” Ana Navarro.
Ana Navarro, a political commentator, spoke those words when trying to explain the significance of the Bad Bunny Half Time show for Latin American people in the U.S. (the show which was also affectionately called “The Benito Bowl,” Benito being Bad Bunny’s first name). It’s a statement that captures the experience I witnessed among my extended Puerto Rican family regarding the meaningfulness of the Bad Bunny performance during the Super Bowl’s Half Time Show. (Mind you, we were only tuned in to catch the Benito Bowl, not the football game).
It would be hard to overstate the significance and meaningfulness of the performance for Boricuas. Every single detail of the show means something and represents important aspects of Puerto Rican life, culture, and history. I encourage you to read a few articles or posts on the show if you are not already familiar in order to help you understand all that was involved and included in the performance.
Ana Navarro speaks about it here; you can begin at the 1:04 mark to get to the part I especially appreciated:
On top of all the cultural beauty displayed in the show, Bad Bunny also had a message of love and interrelatedness. Celebrating and honoring all the countries of the Americas, and elevating love above all else. If you haven’t watched it, please do, and try to watch it through the lens Ana Navarro provides in the video above.
His embodied message and sentiment was a beautiful gift and a tremendous contrast to the messages coming from conservative media and our own administration.
In the midst of the present macro sadness due to the state of our country and our world, art and joy and creativity -as embodied by the Benito Bowl, remain the food that can nourish our souls and reconnect us to the unshakable good that is still possible within us; the beauty and creativity of which we are still capable.
This all reminds me of the blog post I wrote back in December 2024 titled “The Practices of our Hope.” I invite you to read that post next, then read Molly Remer’s post from yesterday, and then do one thing that feeds your soul, tends your sacred flame, and grounds and strengthens your art. We each need it in order to keep on showing up. We need each other’s micro joys to sustain us through our present macro sadness.
What is that joy and creativity for you?
Share it with us, just as Benito has shared his joy, art, and culture with you 🥰
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