Last night I had a dream that Steve Bannon was at a party with me. I woke and spent the rest of the night awake, tossing. At 7 o’clock I finally got out of bed, meditated, had a cup of tea, and dressed to go for a hike, without looking at my phone, headlines, or the news.
For the past eleven days I, and most people I know, have watched aghast as the Trump Administration began following through on one horrifying campaign promise after another. Watching and resisting the dismantling of our country has become addictive and, as one new Executive Order after another is issued, I find myself spinning, unsure where to put my energy, time, money, and fight. Just sifting through the news and trying to decipher what is legit and what is not feels like a full time job.
And then yesterday I actually started to feel ill from the toxicity of it all. Instead of sleeping, I would lie awake thinking of the perfect tweet that would really “show him”. I never tweet! I began looking for ways to control situations which are completely beyond my control and in doing so, fell right back into all sorts of bad habits that I thought were behind me. My spiritual game is obviously not as strong as I’d believed it to be!
So, when is being consumed with the news beneficial to myself and others and when is it not? By making myself physically ill, I am of little use to anyone and by spinning in panic I am of no use. That has become apparent. I want to “stay woke” but in a way that allows me to actually take action, away from the rabbit hole of preaching to the choir that is social media. I donated to the ACLU and set up a monthly payment. I donated to Planned Parenthood. I phoned my Congressmen to voice my support for the positions they have been taking. I emailed a Senator from a different state who was interested in hearing from people who had participated in the Women’s March. I phoned in to a Town Hall meeting. And, I turned my phone off, went for two hikes, sat in the sun, felt the earth underneath me, meditated, listened to music when the news was too much, called some friends, and cooked healthy food. That is all I know how to do right now.
And, into Week Two we go.
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