How are you coping with....everything?
I have been really heads-down working on my manuscript, which is why I haven’t written anything here in the past month. But friends………..things are not looking good out there. Every day brings a new horrible video of ICE tearing a family apart, or a fresh assault on some foundational aspect of democracy, or new evidence of egregious corruption that no one will be held accountable for. Meanwhile, the mass shooting that happened yesterday was in my hometown, which feels terrible. And this is all going on at the same time as some of the dumbest, most unhelpful shit imaginable.
It’s taking a lot of effort to stay disciplined and not totally spin out, but here’s what’s been working for me lately in terms of coping mechanisms…
Continuing to organize around affordable housing and street safety. It’s helping me stay optimistic and it’s been especially nice to see some small wins in this realm!
Participating in an in-person book club through NYC DSA.
Working on my book! I didn’t realize how much I’d missed the experience of interviewing experts, and this has been an exceptional bunch—they’ve all been particularly inspiring, open-hearted, and just…lovely. It’s also been fascinating to see everyone hit on similar themes, even when I haven’t asked them about those things specifically. (“You are not your job” and “You don’t need to buy a ton of stuff but you do probably need to go look at a flower” are two sentiments that have come up again and again and again.)
Consuming art! This is one of the core ideas of The Nice Life, so I’ve been extra aware of it lately. We watched a very good ‘90s movie called Daytrippers a couple of weekends ago, and My Fair Lady (which I’d never seen before!) last night. I also saw Death Becomes Her again, and went to Lady Gaga’s Mayhem ball with my entire family. It all helps!
Being as creative as I can without getting distracted from writing. (Right now, that looks like playing a lot of Animal Crossing, which also conveniently keeps me from doomscrolling.) And I’ve made plans to have a papier maché day with Kiyana and JP after I turn in my manuscript next month, which I’m really excited about.
Hanging out with people who share my values, and who make me laugh. It really does make a difference!
How are you all doing? How are you getting through this, and how are you actively pushing back? I’d love to know! 💛