The worst thing we used to say about winter was that it was dull.
After brightly lit festivities, the warmth of friends and family together, January has always seemed bleak. Just cold and barren. February isn’t much better, although there is chocolate.
But in the year 2025, January lasted 7,000 days and was anything but dull. Our kids fled their home as fierce winds turned wildfires into blowtorches. Planes fell from the sky taking with them dozens of lives. And not just once.
The page turned as a new administration took over the White House, and now everything is being turned upside down. Friends are regarded as enemies. Aid to the world is cut off, but apparently, you can buy your way into the country for $5 million. Hardworking government employees are fired, but the cost of groceries keeps increasing. The fabric of our government is being shredded without thorough explanation.
People are avoiding the news because of their anxiety. Meanwhile, the very news institutions we depend on to speak truth to power are under assault.
I am waiting for frogs and locusts.
One friend described the feeling well when she called it weighty. The weight of recent events was pressing in on her. I just feel depleted. I usually am a can-do person. When I get discouraged, I just press on. But the little bit I can do lately feels little.
What I continue coming back to is those frogs. Not the plague, but the comforting sound of frogs chirping after the rain. Last week, we had an unusual downpour. I was in the community art studio at the time making a vase, which was very satisfying. As I left the studio, the sound of frog songs greeted me. Frogs apparently like rain, too.
How can you be discouraged when frogs are singing? Now, when I feel a little low, I replay that moment in my mind. I may need to record frog songs on my phone.
What else can we do?
Seek hope and joy. It is possible to hold two emotions at once. You might feel anxious, fearful, angry about current events. But that doesn’t mean you can’t also experience feelings of hope and joy. Do things that make you happy. Create. Play. Laugh.
Take care of yourself, physically and emotionally. Spend time with friends (But don’t talk politics!), get your nails done, walk on the beach. See a therapist if your emotional unease is more than you can manage. Don’t isolate.
Find people who can help. Better yet, become one of them. Nothing pulls you away from doomscrolling like lending a hand to someone else.
That’s something we all learned from Mr. Rogers. In a book for parents written in 1983, Fred Rogers wrote:
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”
There are many caring people in this world. Find them. Join them.
And listen for frog songs.
SMALL MOMENTS FULL OF GRACE 
I love seeing this in print, Phyllis. Your writing has real power, and the simple construction of your sentences somehow makes them all the sturdier to carry the heft of your message.
I heard a frog sing in my garden a few days ago, and it gave me such a shot of joy. I always feel honored that they would come to live amongst my old flower pots!
Happy spring to you and your family.
Diana
On Sun, Mar 2, 2025 at 2:57 PM SMALL MOMENTS FULL OF GRACE < comment-reply@wordpress.com> wrote:
LikeLike
Thank you, Diana. It is quite a compliment coming from you!
LikeLike