Sewing Circle: Make Three Plans
With the election less than two weeks away, I find myself becoming easily overwhelmed by the sheer volume of news. The stakes are so high and the race so close that it’s hard not to go tharn thinking about it.
How do we navigate this time? By narrowing down our focus and thinking about the moment we’re in, the future beyond that moment, and the people we are.
1) Choose one thing to do now.
It is time for all hands on deck. Pick one thing to do for the election and do it with your whole heart. Maybe it’s phonebanking. Maybe it’s postcarding or letter writing. Maybe it’s a donation. Maybe it’s getting a yard sign. Maybe it’s being a poll worker. Maybe it’s dropping by your local Dem office with a box of donuts. Choose one - only one, one that’s within your capacity - and do it.
2) Choose one thing to do later.
No matter who wins on November 5th, the work will need to go on. I’ve been hyperfocused on the election (to the detriment of my health) but equity and justice always have work to do.
Making a plan to do one thing in the future can help remind you that the work - and the world - goes on. And it can transform your action from “something we do in a crisis” to “something we do because it’s needed, rain or shine.”
Look ahead and plan one thing that you can do in the weeks after the election. Maybe it’s donating blood. Maybe writing postcards (as Tony from PtV says, there’s almost always an election or a runoff happening every weekend in the USA). Maybe it’s writing comments on the Federal Register or knitting a blanket for refugees.
Pick something sustainable and small, your one step that can be taken no matter the circumstances, and refocus your eyes on the horizon.
3) Choose one thing to do for yourself.
Working for the near future and striving for the horizon are important, but only if you are actually able to do so. These last days before the election seem tailor-made to drive us into burnout. If you’re burned out and exhausted, you’re vulnerable to despair, resentment, and withdrawal.
Choosing pleasure and joy is its own form of resistance, its own rejection of a worldview that would grind us down. Set a plan now for something that will bring you joy.
Lunch with a friend? New warm socks? An afternoon in the park? A new Steam game? Really excellent coffee / chocolate / other consumable of choice? Making or listening to music? It doesn’t matter what - it matters that you choose it, that you claim it as something you deserve, that you can look forward to it.
Narrowing down to three things - what we can do now, what we will do in the future, and what gives us joy - helps keep us going. I can’t tell you where we’ll be in a month, but I can tell you that with these plans, we’ll be better off. Choose your actions, take a deep breath, and remember: You are Not Alone.