Changing Venues, Recharging Batteries

Getting ready for the challenging months ahead

Into the wild blue wander. (Photo via Getty Images)

Over the next several weeks, I will be traveling overseas to places I know and places I don’t yet, which is always exhilarating. I will be in Europe for a work-related public event, research for an upcoming project and, I hope, a little time to breathe and recharge my batteries.

This last goal is hard these days—as I know it is for many of you. But we shouldn’t underestimate how important it is to prepare for the months ahead. They will be grueling, demanding, sometimes ridiculous—and certain to test our mettle.

We well know by now that the fight for democracy and against a traitorous minority bent on ushering in authoritarianism and reinstalling a deranged convicted felon in our White House will demand the best of us. I know it will be an opportunity for each of us to prove—in whatever we way we can—our love for America and our commitment to sustaining the American democratic experiment. It will also test our capacity to confront the chaos agents who’ve abandoned factual reality in their desperate hunger for power. I know it will test my ability to stay sane amid so much hostility and madness.

All that will take energy, which is why I’m hoping I will have the chance to let my mind wander and rejuvenate my physical and emotional resources. I hope many of you will do the same this summer.

To be clear: While the last years have been exhausting, I refuse to be exhausted. While Trump and his enablers are dispiriting, I have not lost my spirit. They are surely degrading what it means to be an American and a leader, but they have not poisoned my belief in the value of democracy and the promise of America’s ideals. Yes, there are reasons to fear the ugly, vengeful future they want, but we cannot be afraid or silent.

We have to keep in mind that the enemies within want us to be exhausted. The more exhausted and resigned we may become, the more they will exploit our flagging dedication.

Longtime readers may recall an earlier post of mine about the reality and dangers of burnout called “Burning Down the House.” Do give it a read if burnout might be what you’re experiencing. In my own case previously, I took note when I was more interested in shutting a book, turning off the news and staring at the wall than learning one more thing.

Honestly, I’m ready to do what I can for the fight ahead—and I’m counting on the next several weeks to make me more prepared. In the meantime, I will share some previously published essays that I think will resonate. And I likely will jump in with a new post if a major story breaks. So, too, don’t be surprised if I share some observations during my travels.

Yes, I hope to take some time to linger, to not drive compulsively onto the next thing, to just be a little. But, as always, you, dear reader, and America, America will not drift far from my thoughts.

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