So I started doing the #1ThingaDay hashtag to feel less hopeless, to chisel away the harm, maybe inspire other folks to try it. Looking at a prominent activist’s version on Bluesky, which is eloquent and well put together and basically boils down to “many small things add up.” Queue immediate response of “You must be out in the streets!” And sorry, no, that’s not the point. Do what you can do as often as you can. But send the email, make the call, donate, volunteer, resist however you can.

#1ThingaDay I’ve been pretty lax about these, but am getting back on track. I’m mostly donating where I can and sending emails, but I also wanted to put in a plug for renewing or getting memberships for things you support where you can. These help to sustain our libraries, arts and other organizations through times like this. When lockdown started in 2020, I thought “What do I want to make sure is still around at the end of this?” and I’m continuing to apply that process.

#1ThingaDay Pick something you can do in your community to support 47’s targets. Eat out at a Salvadoran or Jamaican restaurant. Donate books and shop at your local library’s book sales. Share expertise with organizations that have lost funding. Volunteer. Share food with others, including food banks if you have extra. Go to a drag show or a drag queen story hour. Visit your local museums. Set up some monthly pledges if you can afford it. Push back against the night to the best of your ability.

#1ThingaDay Charitable giving and pledges. This is not a great time to be on autopilot, if you’re someone who is a regular donor or pledger to various things. Take a look at these: do they support unrepresented voices? Do they have DEI policies? Are they helping make communities better? Every nonprofit that supports and sustains minorities in the U.S. is hurting right now, as are the arts, environment, etc. Do what you can to help.

#1ThingaDay Recognize when you need rest. I’m terrible at this and tend to just go until I drop, but I’m trying to improve, in part because I’m recognizing that I simply don’t have the same level of energy I had in the Before Times. So tonight, I’m going to skip the thing I was planning on doing, go for a walk, do some catch up tasks and have some down time, then go to bed earlier than I have been.

#1ThingaDay Today I signed up for my local Elders Climate Action chapter. #environment #stopclimatechange https://www.eldersclimateaction.org/

#1ThingaDay My friend Josiah is a library worker and he and some other folks have started a PAC to push back on book censorship in Idaho. Me, I just signed up for my local DFL Caucus. Here’s the PAC link if you’d like to help - https://saveourlibraries.com/

#1ThingaDay Share what you can. I’m taking a friend to and from a medical appointment later on this month and giving away some things I’m not using and don’t need anymore on my local Buy Nothing Group. Last weekend, I brought a bag of food to the food shelf drive at the con and pitched in on a fundraiser. It doesn’t have to be huge and it doesn’t have to be $.

#1ThingaDay So while I’m headed back to MarsCon to be on programming and sell books, it’s also #InternationalWomensDay and #TeslaTakeDown Day. If you’re up for it, look for a local protest or other activity you can support for either/both. I also recommend looking at the Takedown thread on Bluesky.

#1ThingaDay I was listening to KFAI the other day and they were interviewing a Black activist and musician who’s running for a DFL office and he was talking about outreach to progressives in rural areas. I subscribe to a lesbian farmer’s paid newsletter and try to hit the farmer’s markets once a month (a CSA is too much for me). When I have a bit to spare, I donate to Renewing the Countryside, Movement Labs and the farmer support fund of the Mill City Farmers Market. Other thoughts?