“You should take a break from the news.” I confess I heard that twice last week.
On Monday Sam said it when I was the only other person in the room.
And Saturday Heather Cox Richardson’s Letter began, “For those of you exhausted by this week’s news, you can take a break tonight.” That’s me!
But how can you take a break from who you are? All your life you’ve tried to be
informed
caring
ready to solve a problem
and then along come Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, and the last third of your modus operandi crashes.
For example, I’m informed about the delay of the Infrastructure Bill that’s tangled up in the existential Freedom to Vote Act. And I really care! But there’s no way on Earth I can solve the Manchin-Sinema problem. These grotesque toddlers have somehow gotten into the cabinet that holds America’s democracy.
But it’s not a problem of the adult being out of the room. Biden’s there and he can’t seem to do a thing with them, either.
So what’s going on?
I think Sinema and Manchin haven’t realized yet that loyalty to corporate donors means abandoning their party’s leader, who’s fighting from the White House for the life of our democracy.
In April Reuters reported,
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it is backing Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema with campaign contributions as a reward for their opposition to some of President Joe Biden's legislative initiatives and for trying to work with Republicans.
It helps me to know the politics behind this unspeakable betrayal because it moves the frustration from my emotions to my brain, where it’s more manageable. I can reason, “They’re not my kids. There’s nothing I can do.”
So how do you take a break while your country’s breaking?
For one thing you can stop worrying and do something. For instance, tell your community you’re not OK with the school board getting death threats.
Richardson recently said this on her Tuesday Facebook politics talk.
It’s not an accident that there are political operatives storming School board meetings … and election workers. It’s a deliberate attempt to silence the operation of democracy. … So simply speaking up and holding your ground at the local level will go a long way. … [People] say to me, “I’m just one person, what can I do?” Well, you can say to your friend, “No, I don’t think Donald Trump is great.” You don’t have to fight about it, but make your voice heard.
Yes! But I still want to know how to take a personal break from the news. A good citizen has to take care of herself.
Looking at the 50 Ways to Take a Break, above, I’m going to choose “small acts of kindness”. So, today if someone I meet needs a break, I’m going to try to give them one.
Taking a Break ... and Giving One!
How about sending a Pizza to a nurse and her kids for dinner after she has been on a 10 hour shift or calling someone who has been home alone for the past 18 months and has no family who calls; to bring a little sun to their day. On day I called a friend and I thought she just had a cold and didn't sound right. Turned out to be a complete stranger who I talked with for about 5 min who finally said " honey this isn't Kay but I was enjoying talking with you so much, I didn't want to stop." She was 81 and her husband died 8 months earlier and they had no family. Emily is now on my call list. It makes me feel so good! Take a sabbatical from politics for at least two days a week. Nothing will happen in those two days you have control over and your body will have a chance to rebuild it's fighting forces.