How We Cope (and F.I.G!)
I got a lot of comments on my “Dumpster Fire” coffee date post last week. Lots of sympathy for my mini-emergencies and also, oh yes, there’s… the political situation? I’ll bet that’s what people thought I was referring to when they saw the dumpster fire mug. Well, I’ll be honest. I didn’t watch, read, or listen to ANY NEWS last week. Over the weekend, I did ask my husband for a very brief summary, but that was all. After the election, one of my friends told me her policy going forward: her husband has been informed that if they have to gather their possessions and flee, then he can tell her what’s going on. Anything short of that, and she doesn’t want to know. I’ve pretty much adopted that policy for myself. I KNOW things aren’t going well. I know the news is going to be saddening, infuriating, and ridiculous. I just can’t deal with that kind of cortisol spike on a daily basis. To be honest, the things I’ve heard are nothing short of what I expected, so why subject myself to it over and over again? I know there are flaws in this plan. The people who persistently and secretly resisted the Nazis played a large role in bringing down that regime (hey, I’m no ignoramus- I read Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy!) I just don’t know what to do right now. I have the feeling that we have to watch this play out sickeningly until the midterm elections, and then hope to make a change (?). Anyway. We still have each other! We have the Cool Bloggers Book Club coming up, and now we have Elisabeth’s F.I.G. Collective! If you haven’t already read about it, check it out- we’re all going to write down something positive for each day in February. She even has an amazing printable! I love the feeling that yes, these are hard times, but we’re all in it together. We can get through this. I’m going to start off right now, even though it’s not February yet. This morning on the way to school it was slightly chilly- 59 degrees and very humid. I decided to turn on the heat in the car, and the warm air felt luxurious. It wasn’t like we needed the heat on- we don’t live up north where it’s 10 degrees and the heat is a matter of survival. We were just slightly chilly, and because we didn’t truly need the heat, it felt like a luxury. It was a small moment of joy. Are you joining the F.I.G. Collective? Do you have a bonus FIG before the month starts? Top photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash