"From here on in..."

I am not marching today. When I had visited the website to find locations of the sister-marches, I had not found any information listed for a March/Rally in Pittsburgh. In fact, the closest one listed was almost four hours away. My call to social media had no responses. As it turns out, of course there is a march in Pittsburgh, because we are everywhere today. But I have a confession to make. Even looking at the photos on social media, I do not quite know where in Pittsburgh it is; still learning my new city.

But there's another reason I am not marching. I talked in a recent post about having anxiety. Well, one way this consistently shows itself is through panic attacks. A very big trigger is large crowds where I don't know anyone, and I cannot find any familiar touchstones to ground myself. The worst one I've had was post-July 4th fireworks in 2010. And that was in Boston/Cambridge, where I knew where I was, I knew the city. The idea of putting myself in a large crowd in a city I am still learning, where I would not know anyone, seemed all around like a panic-inducing idea.

So instead I am following the virtual marches from my apartment. I am re-posting the photos and writing messages of encouragement to souls far braver than my own. The marches from the world over are comforting and hopeful.

In the last weeks, I have called my Representative and Senators to let them know my thoughts on the gutting of the ACA/Obamacare, the decision to defund Planned Parenthood, to let them know I am a new constituent, and their acts in these next weeks will determine my decisions in the upcoming elections in 2018. I am currently doing my research on all the areas they have voted to determine for which candidate (in some cases existing, in others, the yet-to-be announced opposing candidates) I will throw my weight behind in the upcoming campaigns. I plan to help, whether it is stuffing envelopes, or making phone calls, or writing blurbs and captioning photos.

We all fight in different ways. The trick to remember, now more than ever, is we are all in this together.

To everyone I know out there today and everyday, be heard. Be powerful in your voices. Above all, be safe.