Fellow Beaumont expat Franny Oxford blessed us with her thoughts today:
Some friends have been saying, this week, that they’re depressed, or over it, or somehow losing heart due to “everything that’s going on.” This is on both sides of the political experience.
A comment by Lura N. Groen helped me reframe civic engagement as self-care. I make calls, or talk to people, or publish things here as a way to take care of future me. Just like working out, or saving for retirement, or listening to my doctor, civic engagement is a way to ensure my comfort and safety when I’m older and much more vulnerable than today.
I don’t want to be a burden later, because I told myself I was too lazy/scared/self-indulgent/busy/short-sighted/inexperienced to engage in preventative care of our country, today. I want to know that when I could do something, I did do something. I can’t look my kid, or myself, in the eye unless I take a few small actions every day. My life is full, and I choose to make room. I’m grateful that I get to do so right now.
I may not feel like going to the doctor. It’s a pain to get to the medical center. I certainly never feel like working out. And I’d strongly prefer to go on Epic Vacations rather than saving for retirement. But I ALWAYS feel better after I get out of my checkup, finish my workout, or see my savings balance.
Many of the people who have made this country truly great, (not MAGA great) have done so while coping with depression. I suspect they, like me, use civic engagement to relieve themselves of the burden of their anxieties about the future, or their feelings of inadequacy. So my best advice to you, if you’re tempted to shut down, is to do the opposite. Find a way to take care of future-you. (And your kids, who have to live in whatever world we’re building now.) Find your people. Find your rhythm of civic engagement. Discipline yourself to take action, speak up, especially when you don’t feel like it. You’ll be glad you did.
Oran Today 