Seriously. What in the hell has to happen for me to stop WATCHING the news and THINKING about the news and wondering NOT what I can do to HELP turn the world around, but what I can do TO turn the world around? (I am most definitely not a team player, but not because of the reasons you would suspect, if you are one who tends to suspect reasons.)
I used to have stories to tell you. Stories of haHaHA! adventures and stories about me crying at school functions because of spelling bees and little kids singing and stories of Jeff hitting the cable guy in his only functional eye with a rubber bullet, thereby scoring extended cable to our house for free. (I may have not shared that story. Trust me. It was horrifying until enough time passed for it to be hilarious.)
Now? NOW? I have no adventures to share, other than adventures that might get me into a lot of trouble if overheard by the wrong people. (I may (or may not) be exaggerating.)
I’ve been doing a lot of this:
I’ve got coffee in my hand and Meredith’s shoes on my feet and Senator Chuck Schumer on the television.
Also, I spent nearly twenty minutes a few days back playing with a ridiculous app that makes everyone look like a lovely Asian woman. (Or maybe a lovely Asian man. I don’t know who you are.)
I can’t figure out if the photo is offensive or just ridiculous. All I know is that it smells a bit like I should find better things to do with my time. Like rescuing dogs!
I found this guy walking the streets about a week ago, and when I opened the car door to talk to him, he jumped in and sat right down in the passenger seat. (No collar. Very muddy.)
I took him for a ride, fed him, gave him water, and then a little of this and then some of that and something about a space heater and a rug and I found his owner and everyone was (and is still) happy.
We watched the Super Bowl but not really because although I attended nearly every home football game during high school and college, I don’t care enough to figure out what’s happening.
Truth: When football is on the television, I stare into the television and think about all the lives I’m not living.
I’m very selective when it comes to stickers on cars. I once had a sticker on my Volkswagen that said Peace. It was given to me in 1992 by a guy named Victor who purchased it at a music festival. I placed the next sticker on my Nissan in 1999. It said Nader. (I know.) About five years ago, I added a 0.0 sticker to my back window to celebrate the fact that my legs are made of porcelain. Last year I made a removable vinyl little yoga lady for the Sonata’s back window to let people know that I AM MINDFUL.
Anyway, since last we spoke, I added another sticker. It was given to me by a friend, and it’s little yet mighty.
I have always loved Rachel Maddow. In fact, I really should make a shirt that says WWRMD. Until I do, I guess I’ll just wear this:
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Wait. Did I write that first paragraph? I did. Didn’t I? I’m pretty sure it was me.
And the third paragraph. Definitely the third paragraph. :-|
I, too, love Rachel Maddow, but I don’t watch her any more. Because my husband said to me awhile back, “You need to stop watching news.” For the same reason you should stop watching news. You know why.
It was hard at first, but now I watch ONLY our broadcast news, and only one hour — half hour local and half hour national. No cable. I cut out most of the blogs I used to read because they were politics and current events. Like news. I read only one newspaper online now. Currently I’m fighting to avoid so much politics on Facebook.
It’s not easy, but neither is feeling simultaneously angry and hopeless most of the day. The trick is to substitute something that takes a lot of mental energy. Learn to do something you’ve never done, or take on an activity that consumes you in positive energy. Figure out for yourself what will do it for you, make sure it won’t give your mind enough time to wander over to current events, and start. Volunteer at a preschool, take a class, learn a new language, write a book or screenplay or stage play or short stories, cuddle babies at the local hospital, learn woodworking, teach knitting at the local youth center, run for local school board, something, anything that makes you feel good about what fills your day and doesn’t leave room for thinking about what Rachel is talking about.
Right there with ya.
I have taken the opposite approach to Grammy. Which is not at all to say her approach is wrong. Her approach is working for her and that is a good thing.
I joined the ACLU. I joined the Diversity Council at my kids’ school because I feel like it isn’t getting enough play and as a white lady I can be the annoying front person demanding people listen if that’s what they need from me. I have attended local “Meet a Muslim” events and taken my kids and parents to those events and encouraged friends to go, too. I joined a county-level PSN group and we are making calls (2 minutes a day! I do it on my lunch hour) and writing post cards and tweeting back at our reps.
The world needs me right now. The world needs us. Your activism may not look like my activism, and my activism doesn’t look like other people’s activism (marches don’t appeal to me, but I cheer on everyone from home!). But doing something for me feels a lot better than worrying.
Remember – they work for us.
So. much. time. I have always said that I don’t consider myself a very political person. I am interested in poliCY not poliTICS. I never agree with anyone on everything. If there is a politician I do like, they will surely fail because that means they are too moderate to succeed (see also: Paul Tsongas and Joe Lieberman, but there are local Republican examples in my home state). Right now I am spending a ridiculous amount of time on politics. Because of the way I am, I am actually reading things beyond the headline and trying to understand (example: Gorsuch might not be the worst thing that ever happened to SCOTUS). Usually, the way I respond to too much news is by withdrawing into fiction, and knitting and day to day life – but I sort of feel like I can’t right now – because what if something happens and I should have done something and I wasn’t paying attention? On the other hand – realistically – what the HECK am I actually doing? Because I don’t think reading and watching the news is a thing of actual impact.
I need to figure it out.
All this a long way of saying – I’m right there with you, and if you come up with a good plan, let me know.
As of today, I plan to attend our school’s multicultural dinner next week, and be as friendly to all and sundry there as I can be. Beyond that…….not sure yet.
My husband, who has NEVER had a sticker on his car, ordered and placed a “RESIST” sticker on his bumper. Also, why are you chips “On the Border”? Is this since T$%^& came to office? Wasn’t there some food that was advertised as south of the border? But there will be a wall, so these chips can only be on the border??? I’m sorry…I’ll stop.
If I sent you a shirt and $ for supplies/time would you make me one? Love it.
If Christian women marched in a Muslim country to not be forced to wear the hijab and to not have female genital mutilation, what would happen? Do we want to find out? In 20 years will privileged white Christian women be able to march here in the U.S. to not wear the hijab and to not be under sharia law. 51% of Muslims support sharia law ?
I am not a car sticker person. I’ve had people give me wonderful things that I’d love to see on a car; but somehow I don’t want a sticker on my car. Try to worry less about the news you watch; it’s hard but we should stay aware of whats going on but not freak out about it. I’ve taken to just reading the news, it makes me freak out less.