I feel compelled to address something that comes up time to time ... I don’t talk about politics or social issues on public platforms and I realize that bothers some people, but I’m not sure why, so I’m gonna explain why I choose not to. For starters it’s not because I don’t care. It’s because I care differently now than I did when I was younger.
I run a business. I volunteer my time to the prison [dog] program, as well as recently adopted shelter dogs (helping them get acclimated better in their families so they don’t get returned). I manage a homestead. It may be small, but it’s only me tending nine acres and the animals that live here. And I love it. It’s therapeutic, fulfilling, and grounding in a way I need. It feeds my soul.
I live a pretty oblivious life by design. It’s very intentional. Everything I have, I worked hard for - fought tooth and nail for, including my place in the world and my own dignity when I faced sexual discrimination. I also learned along the way that constantly broadcasting opinions rarely leads to meaningful change. I take action quietly and forcefully (I am a stealthy, feisty gal) when I can actually see a place to make a dent, instead of just yelling into the void.
What most people don’t know, because I never made a big deal about it, is that I have stood up to discrimination. I have not only filed a civil rights complaint, but also a federal civil rights lawsuit (which is not easy) and saw it through to a resolve that was rewarding while also creating change. I’ve put myself in uncomfortable, risky positions when something truly mattered. I just didn’t make it part of my online identity. I also have worked long hours literally sweating in fields and greenhouses alongside immigrants. I got to know them. Listen to them. Learn their cultures and be a friend. I spent two years doing this and I loved every minute, but I never posted about it. I volunteer my time to the dogs of the prison program and get to know inmates who participate in the program.
You wanna help people? Put yourself out there and get to know them, what they need, how you can help, how you can be a constructive part of their journey.
One of my biggest pet peeves is people complaining loudly, often daily, about things they have no real intention of fixing. No plan to organize. No effort beyond venting. Spreading information for likes isn’t the same as creating change.
I was loud in the 90s when you HAD to go out into the world to be heard. Before smartphones and social media made it easy to bitch from your bed. I was loud about girl power. Loud about equality. Loud about women’s rights. And I don’t regret any of it. But I also don’t believe it’s my lifelong duty to remain in a constant state of outrage.
There are generations coming up behind me who will live in this world far longer than I will. It’s their turn now to shape it, challenge it, and fight for it in ways that make sense for their time, just like I did for mine. I did my part. Now I choose peace and friends and family and live every day as if it may be my last. I value my time, and I don’t take any of it for granted.
All these social and political issues matter, of course they do. But I don’t understand people my age (or older) choosing to stay perpetually angry, venting online, and calling it activism. It feels less like progress and more like noise.
I worked hard to build a peaceful life in a quiet corner of the world. I don’t come here or to social media because I miss the chaos, I come to connect with people I love and to share a little of my light.
So when I see people telling others what they should post, what they should care about, or how loudly they should care, I can’t help but wonder, what is your voice actually doing? If you’re only speaking to people who already follow you and agree with you, are you changing anything at all or preaching to your choir?
This isn’t a manifesto. It’s just a boundary I’m very comfortable with. And if anyone thinks I’m out of touch - just know I’m not. I’m more intentional now than I have ever been my whole life. And it’s working for me. If it bothers you, please feel free to unfollow/unfriend.
I’m off to go walk some dogs, work on next week’s hiking schedule, and then do lots of manual labor on this farm to ensure Rose doesn’t get out again.
You do you and I hope you have a great week!
xo
-s
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