It's Time for A Change

I am tired of thinking and talking about all the same things. Will school open or won’t it? Will we get a vaccine in time for the girls to have some semblance of a ‘normal’ freshman and senior year or won’t we? Will we be able to defeat the president in November or won’t we? Will we ever be able to understand how our beliefs and actions as white people have gotten us to this place or won’t we? If we do, will we be able to do something about it or won’t we?

My words and thoughts are on repeat and they are starting to bore even me. I am thinking and talking in circles and nothing is happening. Nothing is changing. When this happens, I keep talking but I stop writing. Fortunately, I am in an on-line writing group led by the amazing Jena Schwartz. She has taught me many things but one of the most important is to write ‘11s’ when it feels like there are no words to write. Jena was born at 11:11 which is how she came up with this simple strategy. When you are stuck, sit down and write a list of 11 thoughts. I did so this morning and in the midst of a string of random words, I realized something.

If I keep writing, maybe nothing changes but if I stop writing, the problems win for sure.

If you aren’t a writer, fill in the blank with what you do to create change. It might be calling your representatives or writing postcards or donating financially or calling friends to talk.

I have felt paralyzed for the past few weeks. All the problems have just felt too big and I have felt too small to do anything about it. But as I scribbled 11 seemingly random thoughts, I understood something. It is possible that my writing will change nothing. But it is certain that by doing nothing, by writing nothing, the problems win. So for now, it is time to keep writing. And I hope it is time for you to keep doing whatever it is that you do when you feel motivated to bring about change. Because it’s time for a change. That I know for sure.