Friends, this will be a short email, but it’s an important one to me.

How are you? (I’m really asking - I hope you’ll reply to this email and let me know!)

On my end - like many of you, I’m sure - it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.

We’re navigating bad-faith “negotiations” from the GOP on the debt ceiling, and the potential economic consequences of the government defaulting on its debt are terrifying in their enormity.

Donald Trump is bragging about how he “killed” Roe v. Wade and talking about a six-week abortion ban.

And, while this certainly has less of a national impact, I was so sad to say goodbye to my family dog recently, after 12 years of playtime and kisses - Sonny was a quirky and sweet pup, and we’ll all miss him very much.

But look: To me, doing this work - and doing it well - requires a persistent optimism. Things can be hard! Our country is facing real challenges on many levels, and every single person within it is navigating their own personal hardships, too - often unbeknownst to those around them.

When things feel tough, I think it’s so important to reconnect with those around us - to remember that while our individual challenges may differ, we are all in this human experience together.

And the only way we’re going to make progress - to lessen the hardship and challenge for not just ourselves but those around us and future generations - is to work together.

So that’s it - I just wanted to reach out, check in, and reconnect.

Reply to this email if you’d like, and let me know how things are in your world.

Thanks,

Sara