:: Only got 5 minutes? Even if all you do is #2 under "Do this + feel better" below, you'll be doing your part. With that said, #3 doesn't happen often, so I'm hoping you can make it! 🤩 ::

I have a confession: Last weekend, I felt so incredibly down. I'm sure part of it was just everyday life as a mom of four who's also trying to work from home. 🤪 But normally, I can handle those regular stressors—when it doesn't feel like the world is literally crumbling around me at the same time.

Every breaking news alert felt like another gut punch.

So I froze.

Sure, I kept doomscrolling in all the nooks and crannies of my day. Because how could I survive without knowing everything about the horribleness that's currently in progress?

Spoiler alert: That just made me feel worse.

Earlier in the week, I'd been invited to a Sunday working session to plan a town hall meeting (more on this later!), but when Sunday rolled around, I couldn't muster up the energy for it. I did not want to go, and I came up with a lot of Very Good and Valid Excuses. ✅

But ultimately, my husband—possibly recognizing that I was stuck in a pit of quicksand that threatened to swallow me whole—shoved me out the door.

So I went. To an event where I'd never met anyone before. 🫣 Me! An introvert and self-proclaimed hermit!

Together, our group of 8 folks talked through tough logistical problems—the kind that come up when you're trying to do something none of you have ever done before. We brainstormed solutions. We built trust in each other, as fellow humans in this moment who are trying to do their part.

I even *gulp* spoke up a few times.

After the meeting, as I walked out the door and back to my car, I felt the fibers of my wounded soul start to stitch themselves back together, just a little. ❤️‍🩹

This is the solution.

👉 When you feel frozen and powerless, you need to remind yourself that you do have power. You have agency, even now.

And the best (and only) way to remind yourself of your own power is to use it: Take a tiny action. Just one tiny step forward. Read an article, sign up for a training, make a phone call, forward this message to a friend.

Below, you'll find tiny actions under #1 and #2 in "Do this + feel better," plus a few more under "Call" and "Keep growing."

Doesn't matter what you do, but pick one and break the cycle. 🥊

If we're going to make it out of this, I need you by my side. And you can't be there if you're frozen in quicksand, friend.

So consider this me reaching out to you with a big honkin' tree branch to pull you out. All you gotta do is grab on. 💜

What's inside

Inside our latest update, you'll find these sections:

• Do this + feel better: 3 things you can do right now. Taking any action (even if it's tiny!) will help dispel feelings of hopelessness and overwhelm.
• Call (yes, still!): This cute little bird will help you remember. 🐦🩷 (I'll explain below!)
• Keep growing: 3 ways you can keep learning and growing as a citizen—something to listen to, something to watch, and something to read.
• Get a shot of motivation: A quote that resonated this week.
• Hey, look! We did this: A quick run-down of what folks in our little group of rabble-rousers have been doing to help.

Do this + feel better

Here are 3 things you can do right now. As a bonus, taking any action (even if it's tiny!) will help dispel feelings of hopelessness and overwhelm...

1. Find a town hall near you

From March 15 to 23, Congress will be in recess. One of the reasons members of Congress get this time off is so they can travel back to their districts and meet with constituents to hear their concerns and care-abouts. To do this, they hold a town hall meeting and invite constituents to attend and ask questions.

As you might imagine, the Republicans who've held town halls since January 20 have been getting quite an earful. Now, many Republican reps are opting out of town halls so they don't have to hear firsthand what the people want.

But all is not lost! Folks all around the country are organizing "empty chair" town hall meetings, which is something you can do when your rep is too chicken to schedule their own town hall and hear directly from the people they were elected to represent. 🐓 (If you're intrigued, here's an article about a recent event in Pennsylvania.)

👉 Search Mobilize.us and filter it to your area to see if there's an empty chair town hall meeting near you coming up during the recess:

• If there is and you're available, go ahead and RSVP!
• If you aren't free, share the link with a few friends to help spread the word.
• If you don't find a town hall meeting, find the closest Indivisible group in your area and drop them an email to see if they're planning one.

2. Move up The Library Ladder

Libraries are—and will continue to be—a crucial resource in the fight ahead. As one of our few remaining common goods, libraries provide a public gathering place that's open to everyone, and that's rare these days. A few examples:

• When unemployed folks need access to a computer, Wi-Fi, and/or a printer to apply for jobs, libraries provide that.
• For retired folks who feel disconnected and lonely, libraries are a reliable source of social interaction. Whether they volunteer to help out with children's storytime events or simply chat with neighbors and librarians, that shared space can be a lifeline. 💞
• If you want to meet up with a group of friends or neighbors for a book club or to plan a protest? Library meeting rooms are no-cost and easy to reserve.
• Anyone who wants to educate themselves on any topic (like oh, let's say, authoritarianism?) can get access to books (physical, e-book, or audio!), read magazine articles (print or online!), check out movies, or attend in-person workshops.

But our public libraries are under attack, facing slashed budgets, book bans, calls for privatization, and more. If we want to protect libraries and strengthen our democracy-saving efforts, we need to step up as library champions now.

👉 So this week, challenge yourself to move up one rung on The Library Ladder: Review each item in this list and mentally answer "yes" or "no." For the first "no" you encounter, set yourself a goal to get to a "yes" before next Friday.

🪜 The Library Ladder 🪜

Warning: These actions might seem small and insignificant, but they are not. Librarians and researchers agree that these actions are the best way everyday folks can support our libraries.

1. I know where the library closest to me is located.
   • No? Pull up your maps app and search "library".
   • Yes? Excellent! Keep going to #2, and for every "yes" you get from here forward, keep going to the next rung on the ladder.
2. I've visited my library in person.
   • No? Make a plan to do it and stick it in your calendar.
3. I have a library card.
   • No? Visit your library system's website and start the process.
4. I've logged into my online library account and placed a book, movie, cookbook, or other resource on hold.
   • No? Figure it out this first time, then the next time, it'll be easier.
5. I've chatted with one of my librarians in person, whether to ask about which resources are available or just to thank them.
   • No? Librarians are delightful, do it!
6. I've seen the community meeting rooms available to reserve at my library, and I know how to reserve one.
   • No? Ask a librarian!
7. I've attended an event at my library.
   • No? Look online for a calendar of upcoming events, or ask a librarian. Pick something, then add it to your calendar!
8. I've joined my library's Friends of the Library group (or equivalent).

How far did you make it up the Library Ladder?

If you make it all the way to #8, let's do something fun to celebrate: Let me know what your favorite genre is, and I'll send you a book recommendation. 💗

3. Show up this Saturday (Austin-specific)

You're invited to the Rally for Democracy, featuring Senator Elizabeth Warren, along with Representatives Lloyd Doggett and Greg Casar:

• Date: Saturday, March 8
• Time: 10:30 am to 12 pm
• Where: Texas State Capitol Building, 1100 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701 (on the South steps)
• Parking: City parking is available on the street, or try the Capitol Visitors Parking Garage at 1201 San Jacinto Blvd
• RSVP: Not essential, but you can do that here​

The more folks who show up to this rally, the clearer the message we'll send to our Democratic reps: that we expect them to stand up and fight back, every day. Let's show them we want more Rep. Al Green energy, and less silently holding up cute li'l paddleboards printed at Office Depot.

🚨 Warning: This isn't your garden-variety protest. If you've been to any of the grassroots protests since early February, you can expect this event to have a different vibe. Rather than hearing from everyday people, we'll be hearing from our elected leaders on what we can all do to rise to this moment and fight for our democracy.

Note: I've been told the speakers will start promptly at 11:00 am!

Call (Yes, still!)

Raise your hand if you hate—with every ounce of your being—listening to Ted Cruz's pre-recorded voice every time you call his office. 🙋‍♀️ Still, we keep doing it anyway!

Because we love our country, and we're willing to take 5 minutes to speak up for what's right. 🇺🇸

And yet, we're busy. It's easy to get to the end of a long day and realize, "Oh snap. I forgot to call my good ol' buddy Ted today!"

Here's a clever/fun/cute fix for you: About a month ago, a friend told me about the Finch app for self-care. (Stick with me, it'll make sense in a minute!)

At first, I scoffed because surely, I didn't need an app to help me remember to do basic self-care?! But I did want help remembering to wash my face in the morning, which I kept deprioritizing because I felt like there was way more important stuff to do, and that rarely made the cut.

Welp, wouldn't you know? The app is delightful. 🥰 And it works.

After I finally got into the habit of, you know, basic hygiene (don't judge), I decided to make "call your reps" one of my daily self-care goals in Finch. So now instead of dreading Ted's voice, I look forward to checking off my goal in Finch. ✅

If you've been struggling to remember to call your reps, install the Finch app and give it a whangdoodle (which is a phrase I use with my kids that means "give it a try because maybe it'll work, maybe it won't, but it doesn't hurt to try"). When you first open the app, you'll set up your birb, which is a cute little bird creature. Then after you finish the setup, you can add a custom goal on the home screen where it says "Add a goal."

Bonus: Self-care is important, especially when you're feeling overwhelmed and hopeless about the state of the world. If you don't stop to take care of yourself, you risk burnout, which won't help you *or* this whole saving-the-world crusade we've embarked on together. So Finch could help you feed two birds with one seed. 🐦

Reminder: Install the 5 Calls app to get your reps' phone numbers, or save them in your phone as contacts. (If you don't love talking on the phone, call after business hours and leave a voicemail.) Also, no need to read a long script. This is the most important part:

Keep growing

Learning about what's happening and how we dig ourselves out of this hole is an ongoing process. Here are 3 ways you can keep learning and growing as a citizen who wants to protect this democracy:

• 🎧 Listen (29 minutes): Kelly Hayes is a long-time organizer and co-author of Let This Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care. She recorded an audio version of her recent article How To Be a Fighter When You Feel Like a Punching Bag. I wish I could tattoo this whole piece on my soul. Definitely worth a listen! Look for the audio near the top, after the photo.
• 📺 Watch (52 seconds): We are not alone, and we have agency. To remind yourself of that, watch a clip from this Tesla protest in NYC. And San Francisco. And Tucson. They're everywhere! And that's just one kind of protest happening right now. That doesn't even include the 50501 protests in every state, the students who are organizing walkouts, and folks hanging banners on overpasses. 💪
• 📖 Read (19 minutes): No, seriously, did you see what I said above about tattooing Kelly Hayes's words on my soul?! If you didn't already catch the audio version, read the article here.

Aaaaaand here's a snippet of that article, to give you a taste:

Get a shot of motivation

A quote that resonated this week:

Along the same lines:

Hey, look! We did this

Here's a quick run-down of what folks in our group have been doing to help lately:

• Lots of folks in Austin made it out for Tuesday's protest at the Capitol, even though it was on a weekday during regular work hours, which is hard. to. swing. Austin, Loren, Lynn, Lynnette, Rob, and Kristin (who also spoke to the crowd!)...y'all did it. 💃🏼 And these are just the people I saw or heard from directly, so I'm sure there were more!
• Dana and her aunt turned out for the Light for Our Democracy vigil at the Capitol on Tuesday night. 🕯️
• Margaret has been calling her reps and she says, "working on my conservative but not Trumpy parents to get them to talk to their conservative friends (and hopefully their conservative elected officials)." 👏
• March 15 is the Ides of March, and folks everywhere are mailing postcards to the White House to express opposition to what's happening to our country. Lynnette plans to make postcards made of pink cardstock and write this on them: "You're fired!" (A literal pink slip!) 📫 If you want more information about this action, let me know and I'll forward you the details.
• Andrew forwarded last week's message to a group he's in, installed the 5 Calls app, and started making daily calls to his reps, "starting with the shameful Zelensky episode," he said. ☎️
• Lynn signed up for a couple online events to hear authors speak: Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny, and Elizabeth Chur, author of The Joy of Talking Politics with Strangers: How to Save Democracy, One Conversation at a Time. Plus, she ordered a box of 100 pocket-sized Constitutions and plans to hand them out at the farmer's market! 📜

Your turn

What small actions have you taken lately? Please hit "reply" and let me know what you've been up to so we can celebrate with you. 🥳

Onward,

Kelly
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