Where to start

Dear reader,

I had a plucky little blog post in the works some time ago where I held court on the issue of print vs. ebooks but in the light of the unrelenting chaos that has been 2018 I haven't been able to finish it with any heart.  Hey, remember when we thought 2017 was crazy?

We've gone beyond crazy to the nightmarish.  But like I've told you before, I'm not giving up or losing steam.  You want crazy?  I can show you crazy.  Watch me donate more money, show up at more meetings, encourage more friends, get louder and more insistent about what matters.

Why is this so hard, America?  What do we collectively need to let go of to get on with the actual business of caring for ourselves, our family and friends, and our planet?  Have we been so whipped into pretend fear by poor physical and intellectual nutrition that our anxiety and fears have replaced whatever scrap of common sense we might have had?

I write to you on a morning when the past months have seen our government shut down, more environmental fallout from hurricanes and fires, and the most recent wound, an act of profound violence at a high school in Florida.

If you've been following the news at all, you know, and I"m not going to recount it all here.  What I will do is point to an example that gives me heart.

According to east coast news sources like the Washington Post and WTOP, a young republican leader Kyle McDaniel formally resigned from the Republican Party after our top elected official made some especially vile remarks about specific countries, including Haiti.  After some looking, I found the text of it here:  https://bearingdrift.com/2018/01/16/scc-member-kyle-mcdaniel-resigns-virginia-republican-party/

In case that link disappears in the future, I'm copying in this crucial part:

“I held my tongue for too long; hoping things would improve. I was wrong. I can no longer stomach those who support nativism, or their apologists and enablers. After a decade of work in the Republican Party in northern Virginia, it is time for me to step away."

That's what he said.  He spelled out his disagreements, pointed to his moral compass, and left.  I salute you Kyle McDaniel, and I know that your words are going to resonate and inspire others like you, the people who have perhaps always or just recently considered themselves Republicans and then found themselves betrayed and bewildered by the level of hate, greed, and racism currently occupying the highest level of office.  


So if you are casting about with where to start, the important thing is just to start.  Think about what makes you uncomfortable and start by pointing it out, saying it is not acceptable. Declare your state of independence and work toward what is next.


Despair is not an option, I say this as much as to myself as to you.  We have more resources now for organizing, communicating, and unifying than we ever have before.  So here's what I'm wearing on my sleeve for now.


I'm a feminist.


I'm a Democrat.


I'm an environmentalist.


I'm a supporter of the arts.


I'm a blood donor when my iron and blood pressure levels allow it.  



Honestly, it feels good to give and connect.  When you can give 10 dollars to a GoFundMe account like this one https://www.gofundme.com/srhscctm  or bring a bag of groceries to your local food bank or just spend an hour outside picking up litter and offering a friendly greeting to neighbors, just do it.  Don't wait.  Don't you dare let the weight of hate take away your ability to do good.