05/28/2026
Josie Here!
So the last year and a half have been stressful, to say the least, with specific anxieties rooting themselves in the conscious minds of my spouse and I, both of whom identify as transgender. But transgender or not, it’s not hard to feel as if news of unfortunate events is coming at us faster than ever - and with each season, there’s more of it at a more intense rate.
I find it really easy to get buried under this kind of info-flow - my mind swirls with questions like “are things going to just get worse?” or “am I the only one who cares?” or “how can I possibly make any kind of difference? How can anything I do matter if everything is just going to get worse and worse?”
For my spouse and I, one of the main ways we’ve found to relieve that anxiety is focusing on community. I use that word a lot talking about the local town and Hope Church, but I really mean it. Not just community in the sense of a descriptor of any group or assortment of people living together, but the building of it. The maintenance of it. The growth of it. The logistics of it.
Affecting a whole nation is terrifying and hard to fathom - but it's easier to think through how to make a difference in your own neighborhood. And here’s where I’ll echo some thoughts that you’ve probably already heard from me - it takes figuring out what you provide and ALSO what you need. No one person can or should be expected to be able to provide everything in every situation. Some folks can provide hospitality and food. Some can provide inspiration and entertainment. Some folks can provide transportation, or help people navigate government processes, like getting important documents or updating them.
You may not always have the energy to “pull your weight,” as some may say. Maybe life will throw you some extra challenges that use up more of your day-to-day energy, or you can lose track of how much work you’re doing and just straight up burn out. Often in those moments, the most productive thing you can do is rest and lean on the community you’ve helped build, just as others need to be helped by services you yourself provide when you do have the necessary energy.
So, in your activities of “doing” community, this balance is important to monitor. When you have the energy and motivation, what are the ways you can add to the community? Which events can you volunteer at? Who has a birthday coming up who could use an extra voice giving them encouragement and a smile? What local business is doing a “dine-to-donate” that you could get a quick bite at? And likewise, when you find yourself running low on power, what are the things that help you recover? Who are the people you can reach out to? What are the things you’re normally expecting yourself to accomplish that can be put down or handed off to someone else?
You can’t work all the time, and you can’t rest all the time - and similarly you can’t do either NONE of the time. So do a quick assessment of your head and heart. After all, you’re the leading expert on YOU. Are you lighter on your feet this week? Or heavier? What’s causing it? Does anything need to be adjusted? Where are you in your own cycle of community?
And as always, stay safe and stay hopeful 💙
Josie Lash
