I’ve been doing some soul-searching lately, to put some things in perspective, and hold on to my long-sought and hard-won joy. Because lately, living in America has been a joy shredder.
Guilt. Oh gods, is there guilt. I should be doing more, I should be giving more money, I should be calling my idiot senators on a daily if not hourly basis . . . My inbox has been overflowing with cries for help, solicitations for money, demands on my attention, and fear-based exhortations attempting to shame me for not signing the latest on-line petition. It’s like a first-thing-in-the-morning-bitch-slap just to open my inbox.
Enough.
I didn’t go to the march because I was sick, and I felt really bad about that, until I had a conversation with a wise woman, who said, “I can only do what I can do, and I have to conserve my energies to create a safe space for people to congregate away from fear.” Suddenly, I understood that marching wasn’t mandatory. Marching would have set my healing process back a week. I don’t have time to be sick for another week, because I have people that need my Light now. I can’t be who I am if I can’t function. Guilt=gone.
The chaos is rising, and every single damn day we see yet another attack on our rights, on our water, on our air, on our financial well-being, on our religions, on our bodies, on our love. And if we each tried to respond to all of it, we’d all self-destruct, and fast. That is, honestly, probably by design. The Darkness wants to wear us down, because we are shining too brightly and it hurts them. Don’t give in.
Here’s what you do. Pick a handful of things that you really, truly resonate with, and do them. Early and often. Make it as easy as you can to keep doing them. I have a monthly donation set up for Planned Parenthood that comes right out of my checking account every month that I don’t have to think about. Same with End Citizens United. I also meet with a rapidly growing group every month to send postcards to our elected officials; it’s like a party–there’s beer and kombucha on tap, and everyone is becoming a friend now. We sent over 1000 postcards, over 10 pounds, last month. The Using Our Mastery Light Language group meets monthly as well, and we create amazing grids to help overwrite the current bad programming that is happening on Earth.
I send emails and make phone calls to legislators, but not about everything. I can’t everything. No one can. I have picked my battles. If we all pick our battles, we will win the long game. We can’t win if we are falling apart.
The fear game is on strong, and we must simply refuse to play. Both sides are using fear to manipulate us, and that is one of the things that makes me angriest. Do you know how much harder it is to stand in our power when we are being hit by a shitstorm of threats and terrors from every possible direction? The Right wants us to fear the bad guys that they will protect us from so we don’t notice them sucking the life out of us and stealing us blind. The Left wants us to fear the bad guys who are sucking the life out of us so we will send them more money, because they won’t steal it outright. When I get a panic-inducing email demanding that I take action, the action I take is to unsubscribe from their mailing list, and continue to do what I can do while continuing to function.
The most important thing we can do is continue living joy-filled, authentic lives. Period. We must fight to keep the monsters that have taken over our country from legislating us back to the feudal system, absolutely, but we have to be smart about it. Pick our battles. I’ve picked mine. What are yours?