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Friend -- The board and staff of Action NC are with you. We are deeply concerned about the impact of COVID -19 and have taken measures to ensure that our staff and their families are as safe as possible. All of our offices are closed and we will be working remotely until current executive orders are lifted. We are working on our communications plan to be with you virtually as often as possible. In the meantime, please continue to follow and interact with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Our commitment to justice and equity is as strong as ever, and our resolve is only heightened. Any Movement is only as impactful as the people who are leading it. This season is challenging, but we are resilient. If your community is impacted by a shelter in place order, or if you are self – isolating, then use these questions to help you get through the day. Let us know how you are? We are all in this together! 1. What am I grateful for today? A daily gratitude practice, even in the direst of conditions, can elevate our spirits. What are you grateful for today? Take two minutes every day to make a list. Add to it throughout the day. 2. Who am I checking in on, or connecting with, today? As many have rightly reframed it, it’s not social distance we need, but rather social solidarity while we maintain physical distance. Pick three people each day to check in on. Call your grandma. FaceTime your mom. Text your friends. Check on the neighbors. 3. What expectations of “normal” am I letting go of today? We’re facing down a global pandemic. The nightly news is challenging. Whole states and cities are sheltering in place. Some of us are suddenly either out of work or working from home, while simultaneously running a homeschool and managing workloads while frantically disinfecting surfaces. It’s OK if you don’t get to inbox zero by the end of the workday. It’s OK if the kids don’t learn anything today, but are still loved and alive by bedtime. Figure out what is actually important to you in this moment and focus on that. Science fiction novelist Octavia Butler, who wrote about resilience and adaptation in dystopian times, tells us, “The only lasting truth is Change.” The faster we let go of expectations of “normal,” the faster we adapt. 4. How am I getting outside today? Nature, fresh air, and sunshine are good for our nervous systems. While not all of us may be able to get to the redwoods or the ocean, simply leaving the house is helpful. Can you sit in the sun for 10 minutes? Step outside briefly to see the moon as it rises? Even if you cannot physically get outside, can you open a window for fresh air? Or bring flowers inside? 5. How am I moving my body today? Crisis heightens fear and anxiety. The more we can shift out of our heads and into our bodies, the more grounded we’ll feel. Take a 10-minute walk around the block. Run the stairs in your building. Do some yoga poses. Play with your children or grandchildren. If you have limited mobility or fitness, can you roll your ankles in a circle while seated, roll your neck. Massage the tension out of your jaw? Put a hand on your heart to feel its beat? 6. What beauty am I creating, cultivating, or inviting in today? Beauty is a powerful antidote to despair. Recognizing the beauty in the world and bringing it into our lives is an affirmation of the life that still exists and is worth fighting for. Becoming creators, not just consumers, of culture gives us agency and power. “A revolution that is based on people exercising creativity in the midst of devastation is one of the great historical contributions of mankind.” So, let’s write about our lives, draw our dreams, sing our sorrows, plant gardens, cook for our neighbors, create culture to survive, and yes, even thrive wherever and however we can.
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Action NC organizes campaigns to promote
gender, race and class equity. |
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