In the film, Groundhog Day, Bill Murray's character is stuck in a time loop and forced to relive Groundhog Day over and over again. When I look at the news, I feel stuck in a different sort of time loop myself, regarding the horrors our national government is perpetuating these days. Evil forces seem to be everywhere, but I haven't given up hope, and I hope you won't either. If ICE is active in your community, do everything you can to break the spell; don't let their brutal, unlawful tactics make us complacent out of fear.
What else can we do?
- Write letters (form letters are less effective) and make phone calls to make your voice heard in Washington, D.C.
- Check your voter regstration! Arizona maintains an online portal to check your registration status, and I think a lot of states also have something similar.
If you're registered to vote, consider helping others register (or check their registration status.) - Stay informed. I'm a long-time subscriber to historian Heather Cox Richardson's daily email, Letters from an American. Her newsletter is insightful, reliable, and consolidates information from a lot of sources I can't keep up with.
In the meantime, I'm counting on quotidian chores to hold me fast to this planet. Can you find some combination of physical work that gives you satisfaction, work that enlarges rather than diminishes you? What does that look like for you? Run the vacuum cleaner, wash dishes, peel carrots, make soup, visit your neighbors, sweep the porch, go for a walk, write a letter. As I've noted before, February is a great month to work on establishing a new habit - you only have to do it for 28 days! Here's a link to Austin Kleon's 28-day challenge calendar.
The better version of February 2nd is Imbolc, a cross-quarter day halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The higher angle of the returning light and longer days are noticeable. I'm paying attention to that.
*Photo: Tucson, Arizona mural by Ignacio Garcia, Rosa’s Resistance, located on 3rd Ave, across from the Presta Coffee on the corner of 9th St. and 3rd Ave. Learn more about Ignacio
