Word of the Year: Act
Big or small, or somewhere in between, we can all do something
I debated even publishing something today. I mean, who cares, right? With everything else going on in the world, who is going to read this?
But that is not the point of art — to care what other people think of it, of you.
So here is my first act, the act of writing, of recording where I am, here, today, on my 54th birthday.
Care, Protect, Fight
These are three other words I considered to be my words of the year. And I do think they are all going to be important for the year ahead, and beyond.
Care: whether it is self-care, or caring about what is happening at all, in any capacity, we need this. I told myself I wasn’t going to “doomscroll”, and I am trying not to. But like a post I saw on Bluesky recently said, I just am scrolling; the doom is just there.
And I need to pay some attention to what is happening, even if it is outrageous and enraging — what I can’t do is despair. Because the next step in caring is to protect.
Whether it is protecting my mental health, my family, or my community — let’s face it folks, no one is coming to save us. I need to balance caring and protecting with the tendency to withdraw. I can inform myself and find things to care about without getting overwhelmed or sinking into despair. It’s not easy; it’s easier to type these words than figure out the next place I need to put my energy. But everyday, I will strive for that balance.
Lastly: fight. Most days, I won’t lie, I don’t have much fight in me. So my fight might look small to you. But the fact that I did anything is a big deal, because I am tired, and I want to do nothing. So if I choose to email my elected officials instead of call, that’s a fight I have won. If I visit my local bookstore instead of ordering from Amazon, it counts toward the good.
What Can I Do?
I can donate to organizations I believe in.
I can boycott Amazon, Target, Walmart. It makes my life a little more difficult, but it’s worth it.
I can support local businesses, local news sources, and local politicians. Again, small but important.
And every day that I get up and go out into the world is a battle I have won over depression and despair. And maybe seeing me continue to function in this stupid, fucked up country will inspire someone else to act, or care, or protect, or fight.
And that, my friends, is a victory we can all share.
