If you’ve come here for answers, I don’t have them. Wiser people than me will have them.

I’m writing this on a dark rainy morning with too little sleep. I am depressed, sad, defeated. So please forgive me if this post isn’t as peppy as usual. I don’t need to tell you what it’s about. People all over the world are mourning with us.

I can’t believe we’re here again. We’re facing four years of a Trump presidency. Four years of fighting against a tide of hatred.

First of all, I want to say that if you’re not okay right now, that makes perfect sense. I will not be the one to tell you to buck up and get ready for a fight. I will not tell you that we can’t take our foot off the gas, that we have to act and act now. Because today, that’s too hard for some of us. Today I’m not leaving the house. Today I’m not pushing my book. Today I’m not doing anything except caring for me and the people around me.

If you need to sit in it, that’s alright. Sit in it. Come to terms with it. Go through all the stages of grief. Take the time you need.

Because eventually, we are going to have to fight.

We have to fight to protect our planet, trans people, drag queens, women, school children, libraries, education, the CDC, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, Muslims, Jewish people, Pagan people, educated people, the post office, books and literacy, the incarcerated, the homeless, veterans, unions and the fucking National Weather Service. I am sure I’ve forgotten some, so please feel free to let me know in the comments. I don’t forget because I don’t care, but because there are just so many things that are now in danger. My God, we aren’t all going to make it through the next four years.

I have limited power. I am not a politician. I am not a thought leader. I’m not even an influencer. I am a writer. I write my little stories about ghosts, dragons and spaceships. Sometimes I write about the horrors of the world. I imagine that’s going to become a little more common.

But let me tell you something I’ve noticed today. A trend on social media that you might have noticed as well. Maybe it’s just because I follow a lot of writers and speculative fiction fans. But over and over, I see the same comments.

We are the resistance. We are District 13. We are the Handmaids who rebel. We are the VFD. We are the kids in Hogwarts during Deathly Hollows. We are the rebellion.

In our darkest hours, we reach for stories for comfort. So I’m going to write my little stories and read my little stories. I am going to let them inspire me.

I’m going to light a candle for protection and say spells for those who are now in danger. I’m going to continue to do this for as long as I can. I’m also going to write more, both for myself and to help others in the best way I know how. I’m going to wear my PRIDE gear and my pentagram. I’m going to speak up every time I can and show up to protect the people in my community who need me. I am going to use my privilege as a white woman in a straight-appearing relationship to help who I can. I’m going to donate to food pantries because people need to eat. I’m going to do what I can to lighten others’ burdens. I’m going to write to the politicians who might still listen to us. I’m going to pray. I’m going to show up to protests. I’m going to show up to vote every time I have the opportunity to do so. I’m going to listen to marginalized people and do what I can to help them based on what they tell me they need.

And my God, I am going to make fun of Trump every time I can. Because I can’t do much, but I know it pisses him off when people, especially women, laugh at him.

I’m going to close this with some witchcraft book recommendations. Please feel free to add your favorite in the comments.

Lazy Witchcraft for Crazy, Shitty Days, by Andrea Samayoa if you need some help existing.

Light Magic for Dark Times, by Lisa Marie Basile if you need spells and rituals for healing.

Witchcraft Activism, by David Salisbury for when you’re ready to fight back.

Utterly Wicked, by Dorothy Morrison if you’re not opposed to hexing people.

Finally, let me leave you with some quotes from people smarter than me.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

– Mr. Rogers

“Right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

-Martin Luther King Jr.

Leave something nice in the comments. I think we all need it.