A Billion Brilliant Stars

The future looks really dark and uncertain right now. Yesterday I wept, today I’m in planning mode. And in case it helps any of you, here are some of my plans, to bring some light and carry it forward.

• Read Good Books. For myself, and with my children, read the books that have the stories we need to hear that will buoy us up, enrich our compassion, and strengthen our wills. Not just the real-life stories, but the true ones too, with the characters who live in our hearts and hold our dreams when life looks bleak.
• Keep home a haven. Play music, have spontaneous dance parties. Make art. Bake. Be silly. Start playing Christmas music early. Save politics for after the kids’ bedtimes. Use all the coping strategies we honed in lockdown to keep the weight of the world off little shoulders.
• Pick up my flute and play. This was one of the only things that kept the panic attacks at bay during lockdown. Hoping it helps again.
• Plant native plants and trees in my yard. Check in with my partner on our house improvement plans to take advantage of any green energy initiatives that are left unused as yet. Reinstall my rain barrels once spring returns.
• Stay involved in my kids’ schools and the town committees and groups I’m part of. Make sure that I use my voice to speak up for the people who are going to need support.
• Keep checking in on my friends and family.
• Put myself on a strict social media diet. Scrolling and spiraling is not what any of us need right now, and as we all know, some sites are pretty much designed for doom. Check in, stay connected, but don’t drown.
• Support independent news media like ProPublica, and keep supporting the public broadcasts like NPR, PBS, and my local stations. Stay informed, but take mental health breaks as needed.
• Boycott Amazon. Shop local, support artists and small businesses, crowdfund cool stuff when I can. Things are going to get more expensive. Might as well put that money in my neighbors’ pockets instead of billionaires who don’t need it.
• Keep writing. We all need stories, and if my words resonate with just one other person, then they are worth putting out into the world. There were a lot of people sharing poetry yesterday, for good reason.
• Refuse to give up. Find the things I’m good at and care most about and protect them.