I want to go back to bed and sleep for a thousand years. Where once I naively assumed that we just needed to survive the initial blast of the 2024 election, I now realize there are shockwaves which will be felt for years, if not generations. So what do we do when we feel helpless, trapped, and on the brink of tuning out forever? Tiny acts of rebellion.

A few days after the election, my brother texted me. While we hadn’t yet spoken, I had posted about canceling our Thanksgiving plans and had a feeling the ripples would start hitting shore. While the text was far from perfect, he hit upon some of the basic ways anyone who voted for Trump can care for the people in their lives reeling from this election.

Waking up and telling Michael that Trump won the election was like finding out Dad was locked in the nursing home with COVID all over again. I felt, and continue to feel, small, helpless, horrified. The top of my To Do list reads:

1. Confirm Michael’s prescription refills and continue researching international healthcare policies.

2. Re-submit Michael’s paperwork to NYC for birth certificate change.

3. Help Parker’s partner get a passport.

4. Cancel Thanksgiving.

There are twenty-one days until the 2024 election. Looking at the last seven days of our lives, four of them contained crying. Wait. Make that five.