Wine & Whine 6: It's a Challenge to Stay Optimistic

How I'm trying/TRYING to remain optimistic in today's insane world.

It’s been a while since I have written anything here and for many good reasons.

First of all, I was having fun. I was traveling (all four countries in Scandinavia plus a day trip to Tallin). I had a huge birthday party for my 70th birthday (or as I called it “21 plus 7Squared; do the math). I was bolstered by the positive campaign that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz were carrying out; I felt very optimistic about our future. I was busy living my life.

That all came crashing down on November 5, 2024. That was the day that will live in infamy for anyone alive today. It was the day too many people stayed in home protest or out of sheer laziness or just because they couldn’t bring themselves to vote for a Black woman. People said they voted for lower-priced eggs and gas (how’s that working out for ya?), but in the end, it was the day that cruelty and prejudice and hatred won over hope and inclusion. I have been asking myself over and over since that day how this could have happened. (And don’t come at me with “well, the Democrats screwed up by….” Just don’t.)

And that leads me to the second reason I’ve gone quiet. I’m trying my hardest to stay positive in the middle of the insanity. I like to quote a former boss of mine who said once “It takes great courage to be an optimist,” but it’s been hard to find that courage lately. I wake up each morning full of fear which turns to outrage when I read what’s in the news - although I have given up my subscriptions to the legacy media and pretty much depend on Substack, newsletters and podcasts now. I’ve been hunkering down.

So here’s how I’ve been coping lately. I welcome feedback on what you’ve been doing to stay as sane and as positive as possible:

1. Attending Town Halls with the politicians who represent me. Both my Senators and my Representative are Democrats, but I still want to hear what they’re doing. Even if your representatives are theoretically on my side, I want to keep the pressure on so they fight back. The Democrats are not/not helpless. There are many ways they can slow down the insanity and continue to voice concerns against this fascist take-over.

2. I downloaded the “5Calls” app which gives me a script for calling said politicians about whatever is pissing me off that day - it will even dial the phone number of the offices so I don’t even have to look for that information. And I call almost every day.

3. I am doing whatever I can to “resist” and send a message, even if it’s indirect.

   1. I have given up on Amazon for books and buy from other sources (Nowhere Book Shop in San Antonio for my books; the owner is Jenny Lawson and she is a treasure. If you don’t know who she is, look her up).

   2. I stopped buying everything else off Amazon; some things are more expensive, but there is lots of information out there about companies that still support DEI initiatives, etc. I never did buy from Target or Walmart, so that won’t change. I’m just looking for alternatives wherever I can and supporting companies that are allies.

   3. I will participate in the “economic blackouts” such as on this upcoming Friday, February 28 - i.e., not buying ANYTHING from ANYONE. I mean, who can’t go one day without buying something? Also, the stock market scares me and I’m retired, so I gotta watch my pennies!

   4. I deleted Google from my phone and don’t use it to search anymore. Instead I use DuckDuckGo. It’s also my browser of choice. They don’t track your information like Google and others do. I also don’t use Google or Apple Maps; I’m using Waze and MapQuest, which are clunky but still work. I’m trying not to support the billionaires who have hooked up with TFG.

   5. I have a throw-away email I use to send messages to DOGE whenever possible (I mean, they’re ASKING people to send in suggestions…)

4. I’m volunteering to help others. My favorite is an app called “BeMyEyes” where a vision-impaired person can videocall you and ask you for help. So far in the past week, I had a lady call me to help her figure out what was written on the prescription bottle for a pill she had to give her dog. Took me a few minutes and saved her from giving her pet the wrong prescription drug.

5. I’m taking care of my body - watching my diet; doing my PT exercises; walking on the treadmill; staying away from alcohol and NOT binge-eating because I’m miserable.

6. Limiting my doomscrolling and at 7 p.m. I watch something on streaming services that has nothing to do with politics - romcoms, murder mysteries, etc. I also turn off all electronics an hour before bedtime so nothing upsets me before I’m going to sleep.

7. READING!!! Always my favorite escape.

8. Planning more trips. Of course, this also means I have to continue to have faith that my plane won’t come crashing down as the FAA is gutted. Then again, I survived a year in Baghdad, so I figure I can survive many other risks.

9. And supporting like-minded people however I can. I “like” posts here on Substack; on Instagram (although I’m pulling back from anything owned by Zuck); on Threads (again, pulling back); and on BlueSky (seriously hope people continue to flock there). People are putting their thoughts out there and the groundswell of resistance deserves to be recognized and supported. Also, because I love cat videos. Those always deserve a “like.”

10. Following great accounts: Charlotte Clymer; Wonkette; Heather Cox Richardson; Meidas+ and more. Check out my profile to see who I follow. And you can follow me on Bluesky at: amazonanne.bsky.social

11. Socializing with my friends and family - texts, phone calls, Wine & Whine sessions, monthly tea with my neighborhood ladies, meals out, movies, etc. We all need to surround ourselves with out loved ones. I even made a New Year’s Resolution to reach out to the people I love and appreciate and tell them how I feel, via emails mostly. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and uplifting. We MUST remember that we are not alone and it’s a good time to remind others how we feel about them.

I do believe we are not helpless. That’s the most important thing here: We cannot think we are helpless. We cannot give up hope. We must stay courageous. We must support each other any way we can. Doing our part can mean a lot of things, but giving up is not acceptable.

Music interlude to remind us we are NOT powerless: