What Do I Do?
about the state of the world
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In the summer of 2019, I caught a stroke of intense creative inspiration that, at the time, felt more like a calling than an idea. I wanted to create a podcast to talk about social issues, politics, and the state of the world. In it, there would be specific takeaways for the audience so that it didn’t feel like bitching into the void. So I spent months planning, researching, and trying to figure out how to make a podcast. And, eventually, I made it happen. The show was called What Do I Do?.
From the What Do I Do? website:
What Do I Do? is a podcast about current events for folx who want to get involved.
The goal of “What Do I Do?” is to use levity and brevity to identify approachable ways for folx to take action during a time where the world’s issues are very overwhelming. In each episode, we’ll talk about one thing happening in the world (social issues, politics, current events) and finish by identifying at least three specific action steps a person can use to get involved whether they are physical, financial, emotional, or other.
For example, the Amazon is on fire. What does that mean and what do I do? - You can 1) do something financial like donate to X organization, 2) something physical like volunteer with X organization, or even something as simple as 3) ask X question to a loved one
The first episode was published in November of 2019 and, though it took me a little while to get the hang of editing and producing, I was excited about where the project could go. It didn’t take long, though, for me to realize just how taxing and challenging the project would be, though. I’d done a ton of prep work before production and publication, but the week-to-week schedule was way more demanding than I realized it would be, and my bandwidth to create each episode was limited by the need to do other work (ugh, money!), maintain a personal life, and simply exist in the world. I told my husband Blaine repeatedly, “this would be a full-time job if I wanted to make it the way I see it in my head.”
Not too long after launching the podcast, 2020 happened. We’ve all heard of “2020,” right? It was that *insane* year when, seemingly out of nowhere, the world seemed to implode with a million terrible things all at once? Heard of it? Yeah. It was…lot. It was…a hard year. It was…an ostensibly a perfect reflection of why I wanted to create the podcast in the first place. So much going on that you can’t keep it all straight, and the overwhelming feeling of doom has left you paralyzed with inaction? YUP. Boxes checked! So, I tried to show up.
I started a new full-time job, we went into quarantine, I got Covid, and I kept at the pod. At one point, I doubled down and added on a blog component, hoping to reach more people. From March to June of 2020, I did everything I could to share my vision, all while hoping it might help people survive the world we were living in.
I tried. By the end of June, the combination of George Floyd’s murder, the Black Lives Matter movement, the Covid-19 pandemic, quarantine, working from home, and on and on, became too overwhelming for me on a personal level. In a million ways, I was the person that needed to be consuming the podcast more than I needed to make it. So, after publishing an episode for Pride, I quietly stopped. Instead of focusing on generating for others, I went inward.
At the time, I planned on coming back to the podcast/blog but after about six months I realized that I couldn’t do keep doing it. I let go of the project, and most of the time I am at peace with that.
I figured that if the time ever came that I felt called back to What Do I Do? that I would take it…
This week in the world has felt a lot like the days that inspired me to create What Do I Do?, and I have - quite literally - found myself saying “but what do I do?” on multiple occasions. Afghanistan. Haiti. Beirut. Not to mention, the delta variant, voting law restrictions, or any of the hundreds of other issues flooding my brain daily. It’s all just…so much.
But - what do I do? Unfortunately, I don’t have a real answer.
In the original WDID model, I’d finish each episode/post with three action steps, no matter how big or small, to ensure that there was something productive to take away. Today, I’ll follow the same model, because I don’t know what else to do.
Here are some things I am going to try this week while I keep learning, and doing my best to be better.
Invest in women. Amanda Gorman shared the organization Vital Voices on Instagram last night, and their slogan is “Invest in Woman. Improve the World.” Check them out here, and consider making a donation that will go toward helping Afghan women and girls.
Help Haiti. From afar, there is only so much that most of us can do to physically support the people suffering in Haiti right now, but we can do our best to raise money. Here is a list of places accepting donations.
Phone a friend. I truly believe that having real conversations with each other makes more of a difference than it may seem. It’s different than simply posting an infographic on Instagram (which I am totally guilty of), or sharing money (which is great, but only so deep if we don’t know who we’re giving to and who is benefitting). The conversations we have with our friends and family have the power help us see new perspectives, learn history, and ask questions that might lead to real change.
What are you doing?
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