On January 20th, I expect life to become a bit more stressful and perhaps even a bit more frustrating as it becomes apparent that Americans have chosen chaos and disruption. My goal is to protect my mental health, my physical health, and my financial health from the coming storm while contributing to the protection of democracy and vulnerable people.
This past week I cancelled my subscription to the New York Times to avoid the constant barrage of mind-blowing headlines that will accompany a new Trump administration. I simply don’t want to hear it. The corruption is already piling up. Trump’s voice turns my stomach and his constant threats against sovereign nations who were our friends sickens me. His policies are going to do real damage to individual lives, the environment, and the economy as we know it. Already there is way too much drama. The infighting among the tech bros and MAGA has begun and is only going to get worse. The fighting among white Christians and white Christian nationalists is only now beginning to surface. The loss of credibility among CNN, MSNBC and ABC News has decimated their viewership and promoted the rise of independent journalism. I choose independent journalists, C-Span, PBS and NPR as future sources. It may be that the BBC and Canadian news will become reliable sources to find out what is happening in our own nation.
The best any of us can do is be prepared in advance to find reliable news sources and find ways to protect ourselves and defend decency and freedom. In 2025 I will continue my charitable contributions to St. Jude, my hometown Boys and Girls Club, Doctors Without Borders, Women for Women International, FINCA International, UNICEF USA, and UN World Food Programs. I will continue to donate to the civil rights organizations like the ACLU and Moveon.org because the courts still matter. I’ve added to my donation list Black Mamas Matter Alliance which advocates for reproductive rights and safer maternal outcomes for black women. Of course, college scholarships will always be on my donation list because education is foundational necessity. And I will also support decent democratic candidates because it matters who makes laws and sets policies.
When it comes to finances, I began a methodical move to a cash position and will continue that effort during the first month of 2025 to safeguard my investment funds. I believe the stock market is headed for a steep decline in the immediate future under Trump and so I’m following Warren Buffet with a major move to cash and a safer stock market portfolio to whether the storm. I will also be spending far less on goods and services in the coming years, having already made my home renovations, major purchases, and stockpiled necessities ahead of his promised tariffs. As mentioned before, I expanded my vegetable garden and plan to grow much more of the food we consume. With half the farm workers either deported or fleeing, produce will become scarce and more expensive.
In 2025 I plan to continue my health journey with intermittent fasting (16-8), eating organic, avoiding most processed foods, limiting sugar, and taking long daily walks, stretching for 30 minutes each morning, and doing my own gardening, cooking, and housework. I’ll continue my current knitting and crocheting and add embroidery this year. Music provides an enjoyable background to many of my physical activities while K-dramas provide enjoyment while I work with my hands.
In 2025 I will stay connected to family and friends. I’m an introvert, so I limit my time around lots of people. I find it more draining than ever to be around people for more than an hour at a time. If there is an important event, I will make the effort to prepare myself mentally in advance and convince myself to show up for it on the day it occurs. That is my commitment to maintaining important relationships. My family and my closest friends provide the outer limits of what I can handle these days. I spend no more than an hour with my knitting circle at the senior center each week. Even Christmas Eve was a challenge for me this year, but in the end, I loved being with the people I love. I desire the connection with family and will continue to invite it in manageable doses. I have to gear myself up for phone calls. Long ones exhaust me, and I admit that sometimes I put them off until I have the fortitude to talk. I will invest in my relationships this year by planning well.
I’ve made a personal commitment to intentionally support minority owned businesses in the coming years. I will patronize businesses that are socially and environmentally responsible. I will support the arts that bring social awareness, honor history, and prioritize inclusion. I will be a refuge to vulnerable communities in both my words and actions. In other words, I intend to be a decent, law-abiding human being in the face of bold indecency and hatred throughout the nation.
There are two Bible verses that I’ll cling to for the next four years as my mantra. The first is Roman 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” And the second is Matthew 10:16 wherein Jesus says, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
There is no escaping the fact that 2025 is shaping up to be a difficult year for many. Our collective lack of political participation has brought us to this place where the most corrupt and indecent among us have gained power. The people who care to do what is best for the people of this nation are in the minority in all three branches of our government and those who are supposed to inform us are running scared. All I can say is that we have the government we collectively deserve. My hope is that the mistake of this election cycle quickly becomes evident to everyone, and I pray that the lesson for those who avoided voting because they hate politics now understand that politics doesn’t avoid them. Perhaps they will vote in the midterms for a more decent and livable future.