It has been a minute. A hot minute. Like it feels like eons, ages, eras, generations – and simultaneously if feels like no time at all, a blink of an eye, two shakes of a lamb’s tail.

But I am still here.

Last we spoke, I had cancer. In May, I will find out if I am still in remission – and if I am, that will make TWO FULL YEARS clear. [keep your fingers, toes and eyes crossed for me, will ya?]

Last we spoke, my kids were tiny. Now I have a 1st grader, and an almost 4 year old. How does it happen? I feel like I just announced their births.

Last we spoke, cancer and disease was not running rampant through my family. And now it is and life sometimes feels like a series of “hurry up and have these tests or procedures or treatments” and now wait.

Last we spoke, I was still a stay at home Mom. I had not even divulged that I had applied to Graduate School for a Masters in Social Work, much less been accepted, and successfully maintained a 4.0 – yet here I am, starting work, gearing up for my internship, and graduation in 9 short months.

Last we spoke, the current government was not on a consistent rampage, attempting to burn democracy to the ground. Yet, here we are… yeah, that’s just a link to the New York Times home page, because I can guarantee at any moment in time these days, the headlines will announce a fresh, new horror being thrust upon the American people.

But I am still here.

I am here, and feeling the weight of the world seemingly falling apart around me. Because in the last week alone, we have been faced with headlines like: “Who Decides When a Homeless Person Needs to Be Taken Off the Street?” and “Kennedy Links Measles Outbreak to Poor Diet and health, Citing Fringe Theory” and “Tuberculosis Resurgent as Trump Funding Cut Disrupts Treatment Globally” and “Florida Seeks Drug Prescription Data With Names of Patients and Doctors“

I am not much of a sci-fi woman, but man oh man does it feel like we took a wrong turn somewhere, and entered a version of the multiverse that I do NOT wish to be a part of. To me, it feels hopeless sometimes with the constant onslaught of increasingly bizarre and awful scenes playing out all around us… do you feel that way, too?

I wish I could credit whomever created this cartoon, because holy crap does it hit the nail on the proverbial head.

So… what do I do? How can I stop from feeling so helpless under a regime that I did not vote for, when it all feels so impossible? Where do I find solace? How do I take action to change it? How to I support those around me also feeling similar pressure?

Let’s explore it… because there are a lot of things we can all do, some small, some bigger and some huge, that can help us feel a little less helpless, a little more involved, and a little like we are trying in what feels like a powerless situation without going all Luigi on everyone.

1. Whenever I find someone in my social media feed spewing racist, homophobic, sexist, ageist bullshit, I take ten seconds and report them for hate-speech. The report feature exists for a reason, let’s use it. Whether or not it actually does something to the creator, I don’t think I’ll ever know, but at least I am trying.
2. My family is trying our damndest to avoid the companies that have admitted they are pulling back on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) measures – meaning they DO NOT SUPPORT DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION – – – Yep, read that again.
3. We are also working hard to support small local businesses who deserve our business, as well as those on the list of companies that SUPPORT DEI initiatives.
4. Rather than doom scrolling for the next five minutes, take a look at this site, 5 Calls, that’s a hub for finding the phone number for your local representatives and tell them what’s on your mind with one of their hundreds of script samples – it takes the anxiety out of talking to someone on the phone when all you want to do is scream into the void [mainly because I think they would frown upon that…]
5. Join me in attending Advocacy Day sponsored by the National Association of Social Workers on Wednesday, April 9 in Springfield, Illinois, or virtually from your own home. Registration is required in advance, so do not wait too long to decide.
6. Join a local protest. If you can’t find the information you want on local social media groups or pages, check out Indivisible – they list all the nearby protests, so you have your pick of who you want to join.
7. Run for office. Nope, I am not kidding. There are countless positions that run unopposed and keep people with less-than-ideal worldviews in office. We can change it. There is a site called “Where Can I Run?” that can help get you started. Just remember when you become a huge name in Washington to remember who sent you 😉

The world looks daunting, and it kind of is… but listing things out like this can make it a little easier, right? We can take what works for us and leave the rest – knowing it is still there for us to come back to, if we change our minds.

Because I am still here.

In the words of Chili Heeler, “Remember, I’ll always be here for you, even if you can’t see me.”