I wrote the following just now and one of my women’s groups, in response to people who are feeling very vulnerable and lost.
Yes! We get ourselves resilient. Physically and emotionally. We can think of each of ourselves as one node making up a resilient net of protection.
As much as possible, we take care of our health using highly accessible plants we can grow in our yard. Aloe; greens; herbs. Fruit trees. We teach our neighbors how to be resilient. We collect rainwater so we are never have to be dependent on municipal systems. We share with our communities. Share knowledge, and share resources.
Emotional resilience. A big part of this is just finding our people. Yes, therapy and so on can be needed as well. But a lot of times, what we really need is just a few people right near us who we can talk to. Find those people. IN WALKING DISTANCE please. We all need people who are right around us. (I don’t know how any of you have survived without this. But now is the time to change it.) They are there. They are looking for you too.
Here’s a book recommendation. This was written by one of the leaders of one of the climate-resilience groups I belong to, Deep Adaptation, but it is very very deeply applicable here in this situation as well.
Eye of the Storm, by Terry LePage.
Also, definitely follow Sharon Astyk If you aren’t already. Sane, grounded wisdom on everything from dealing with pandemics to planting a garden to taking care of the people around you.
Also, check into the old traditional ladies networks that women used to use in wartime. Knitting circles, gardening clubs, etc. You don’t have to be a champion needleworker either.
Now that I’m in my 60s, I find it easier and easier to go under the radar as a harmless old lady who’s into plants and beads. There’s a lot of power in being in a segment of society that’s not considered desirable or worthy of attention.
Anyone here is welcome to send me a friend request as well. Some of us already now connected and getting ready to arrange local meetups. But no matter where in Florida you live, feel free to send me a friend request.
Pirate-UP, ladies!! (If you haven’t yet listened to Rachel Maddow’s very practical talk, where she refers to tapping into our inner pirate, you are in for a treat, go watch it — It contains nuts-and-bolts next steps for defending democracy.)
And (separate comment in response to same post):
I think that if Social Security gets eliminated, all of us will be in a similar boat and there will be deflation. I am a Boomer and have no kids. But I could live on the small income I get from my freelance work (writing, speaking, teaching, art) and from the rent that my housemates pay.
One thing I suggest my fellow Boomer women consider doing, if we haven’t already, is pay off our mortgages. Even if we have to cash out our 401(k)s to do it.
It’s amazing how little I can live on with a paid-for house.  And there’s a certain deep feeling of security.
I do a lot of other thrifty things too, like I arranged my life so I don’t need to own a car. And I can get along without electricity other than what’s needed to charge my phone.
All the little things can help us feel more secure, and be more secure and resilient. So that we can be in a better position to protect the vulnerable people in our lives.
As a white woman who is post-menopausal, and has some basic low-tech survival skills (which I teach to my community, those who will listen), I feel a lot safer than people in a number of other categories. So I am looking out for those people.
And in reply to someone who said she’s getting her handmaid costume ready:
I am souping up my green eco-warrior uniform, which I wear as an eco activist/educator, and adding sort of a sassy old lady pirate vibe ha ha. (the eco warrior uniform is an old army jumpsuit I thrifted, and then cut/sewed into a jacket and pants and embellished it.)
And regarding one commenter’s concerns that Social Security will be abolished:
I think that if Social Security gets eliminated, all of us will be in a similar boat and there will be deflation. I am a Boomer and have no kids, But I could live on the small income I get from my freelance work (writing, speaking, teaching, art) and from the rent that my housemates pay.
One thing I suggest my fellow Boomer women consider doing, if we haven’t already, is pay off our mortgages. Even if we have to cash out our 401(k)s to do it.
It’s amazing how little I can live on with a paid-for house. And there’s a certain deep feeling of security.
I do a lot of other thrifty things too, like I arranged my life so I don’t need to own a car. And I can get along without electricity other than what’s needed to charge my phone.
All the little things can help us feel more secure, and be more secure and resilient. So that we can be in a better position to protect the vulnerable people in our lives.
As a white woman who is post-menopausal, and has some basic low-tech survival skills (which I teach to my community, those who will listen), I feel a lot safer than people in a number of other categories. So I am looking out for those people.
In response to a comment from someone saying they had just joined ACLU and suggesting others do the same:
Good suggestion. In recent years I also became a life member of Veterans for Peace, and NAACP. Social justice, climate justice, demilitarization … It’s all connected.
Further exploration:
• “Trump win gives us a ‘really big to-do list’ to defend democracy.” (Rachel Maddow; MSNBC) (6-min talk). Practical steps, and a very inspiring call to get scrappy, and channel our “inner pirate energy.”
• “10 ways to be prepared and grounded now that Trump has won” (Daniel Hunter; wagingnonviolence.org). “The key to taking effective action … is to avoid perpetuating the autocrat’s goals of fear, isolation, exhaustion and disorientation.”