Dear Mr. President

 Dear Mr. President:

It's been almost two whole weeks now since you've taken office, and while I still haven't read many of your plans, I've done a little bit of homework to see where your priorities have been over the past week and a half or so of your presidency.  You've obviously been working on dealing with COVID-19, and most of your focus seems to be taken up with that and the bill you sent to congress.  There has been a lot of focus, too, on the climate, though that seems more talk than present action.  That said, I get that the pandemic needs to be your main focus right now, but it is nice to see that there are other important things moving forward, too.  Obviously getting your teams in will eventually make this better overall, and hopefully Jen will be able to start giving more answers during the press briefings rather than relegating many questions to their respective agencies--which is nice for reporters, I suppose, as they likely know where and how to get answers from them, but for us lay people it is rather frustrating.  I mean, sure...I could go look up whatever statements those agencies have made, but it would be nice to see Jen just able to offer a summation of some of those from time to time.

I've seen that you're committed to reuniting families, too--the ones that were separated at the border.  I imagine that's going to take a lot of work, and time, and effort.  I hope you have some successes there.  I like that you've been working to make our processes for immigrating to this country better, and I look forward to your efforts in that regard--knowing that it's going to be a slog to get it through the congressional process more than likely.

That is something that I want to learn more about, though--what the Executive branch can and can't do--just so that I'm not looking in the wrong place for the wrong kinds of leadership and change.  Your predecessor blurred those lines quite a bit, and I confess I hadn't paid much attention until then.  So, I've got some catching up to do.

It was nice to see the statement on Burma, even if other people want to criticize us for not dealing with our own democratic issues.  Mostly I'm glad to see that criticism doesn't seem to stop you from doing what you believe to be the right thing; I could wish there were more politicians that did such rather than pandering to their constituents for re-election.  And though we are not perfect, I am glad to see us committed to fair, free, and open democratic elections, and to taking steps to seek redress when countries' leaders try to stop that from moving forward when things don't go their way.

We are celebrating today, Mr. President--the end of January.  We decided to do dry January this year, and we ended it a day early because we were able to go out to eat with some friends today whom we haven't seen in a while.  Here in Orange County, I do sometimes feel like we're living in the Wild West still, with people not wearing masks, eating inside, and seemingly not caring about the health and well-being of others.  It's frustrating to see that, sir, but when we can do things safely, like my friends and I did today, it really is something worth celebrating.  Maybe we should consider having a national celebration of some sort when our health leaders feel like we've gotten this thing licked.  It would be nice to be able to get together on a national day of celebration to commemorate our successes, mourn our losses, and provide a remembrance moving forward of the dangers we still face.  I think, too, it might help with those grieving the loss of loved ones to know that their President hasn't forgotten about them.  Maybe we could create some kind of national database where people can send information about their deceased loved ones so that we'd always have a way to view it--to grieve and remember together this tragedy we faced as a nation.  For example, the site of the 9/11 attacks--the memorial that was built there--is such a beautiful testament to our grief and to our hopes moving forward.  I got a chance to visit there when I was in New York a while back, and emotions that I hadn't realized were there, sharing those recollections with those with whom I'd traveled there--my loved ones, was important.  And no, COVID isn't some great war we engaged in for a grand purpose, but we lost so many more people to it.  So having a place to share our common grief would be nice, Mr. President.  But also a day of celebration when we can finally say we've made it through.

We haven't heard much from you with regard to foreign policy, though part of that is dealing with starting things up with your new teams and the reviews that you're doing.  I was glad to see your choices with regard to the lack of installing your family into government positions, and also that you decided not to reward large donors to your campaign by doing that for them, too.  I hope you keep with that, Mr. President.  It would be good to see some people serving in the government again who are doing it out of a commitment to service, rather than as a reward.

I see we're still talking about Iran and Afghanistan.  Also China.  Hopefully you've been able to get in some good time with other world leaders, as well.  But again, it's very obvious you're interested in making sure we beat this COVID thing.

I'm glad to see that you're looking to get schools back in session, too.  I think that's the one thing I've heard most of late is that parents really want their kids back in school.  Being the sole provider(s) for everything for their kids right now probably isn't healthy for them or their kids.  Still, I hope you'll look at the fall as the reopening date for schools.  I know that seems like forever from now, but I feel like if we want to make sure it's done right, waiting until the fall seems better than trying to shoehorn something in within the next couple of months.  Taking that time to make sure we get it right seems far better to me.  But, ...I also don't have kids; so, I can't speak from that perspective on things.  The few teachers I know, though, would prefer to make sure everyone is vaccinated, and that seems like a wise idea to me, too.

I feel like there is a lot less news coverage regarding you and your administration than that of the past administration, which I honestly think sucks.  Sure, there were reasons for the news to be constantly speaking about your predecessor, but wouldn't it be nice if the news were covering all the little goings-on in your own administration with as much interest and zeal?  I feel like the previous administration's agenda got far more air time than your own, and to me that's really frustrating.

As always, I'd like to see more talk about infrastructure and inequality, and I understand you're trying to address many of the root causes of the latter.  But again, it would be nice to see more coverage about the groups you're meeting with and what kind of projects you have in store that they're going to be helping with.  I understand we still have a major problem with white supremacy, neo-nazism, and anti-semitism, but there are also concerns regarding women's rights to abortions, too.

I was glad to see that you rolled back the exclusion for trans people to serve in the military.  If only we could get rid of bigotry and hate, but I guess people are people; so, the best we can do is work to restrain its power in the world.  The only thing that should matter about serving in the military is whether or not you're capable of doing so.  So I'm glad to see that we're finally getting back to that.  Still, if the attempted coup taught us anything, it's that our institutions need to be monitored, too.  There were so many stories I read last year about the murders of service members by their fellows.  And I think that bears looking into.  You are the Commander in Chief; so, I hope you'll do your best to ensure that those who look to you for leadership aren't being harmed by those who serve you and the American people.

How do you even begin to address all the troubles that are facing this world?  I know you have your cabinet and advisors, but I can't imagine what it would be like to have to juggle all the necessities of a country--to weigh in your heart the choices that must be made to ensure its peoples' safety and contentment.  And then to contend with those who simply are greedy or power-hungry.  And the worry that would fill me that I wasn't humble enough in the face of the enormous power and responsibility I had--the temptation to look down on others like many other foreign leaders seem to do.

I think some people were disappointed that you didn't offer more regarding nuclear policy for our country, and again, I suspect that has more to do with getting your cabinet set up and the like, but I hope we'll hear more about it soon-- even if you're only going to keep things as they are, though I feel that's probably a mistake.  We need to tell the world that we're not going to ever use nuclear weapons first--that they are only going to be used as a defensive measure.  And maybe the President shouldn't be the only one holding the keys?  I don't know much about that last, but I feel like making the burden rest on the shoulders of one person probably isn't in the best interests of anyone--including that one person.

Also, ...we really need prison reform, sir.  I want to say so much more on that, but I think I'll leave it there for now.

I feel like you've been really clear about what's important to you, and I'm glad that we're going to get this pandemic under control.  More messaging would help, and asking corporations and businesses to contribute to your own message--much as I hate a corporate-government partnership idea, I think it's still a good one.  With the Super Bowl coming up, that's a great opportunity to reach a lot of people across both aisles.  I hope that happens.

I also keep thinking that peoples' attitudes toward wearing masks is getting better, but I suppose it might well be my own relief at work there--that someone leading our country believes in science and is willing to listen to experts, even when they start talking about double-masking, which sounds silly at first, but really can save lives.  I know it isn't easy, but hopefully the time for wearing masks and social distancing will come to end sooner because of you and your team(s).

One last thing on that.  I noticed that you have a LOT of different teams to tackle different things, and I have to say trying to follow it all is a little dizzying.  Please do your best to ensure there's an easy way to get information--that your people aren't always referring people somewhere else, or if they are, get them out there talking during press briefings too.  The only way for people to know who to talk to is by seeing them and getting to know them better, and as much as I hate to say it, your predecessor, in that regard, knew how to make sure we knew who his people were.  It is one of the few pages from his book I might actually bother taking a look at.

With that, I will simply thank you for your good work this past week.  I look forward to speaking with you again next Sunday, and I hope your ideas and especially your relief bill gain some traction next week.  I hear you're going to talk with some Republican senators next week, and I urge you to hear them out.  Even if you can only find one point of common ground with them, it's far better that than nothing at all.  But also, don't give up on your own ideas.  The legislative process is going to play out either way, and better the fights are there than in your White House.

Until next time, then, I remain a devoted citizen and a hopeful American.

~~ Jennifer 

Betsy Ross 1777 --  Painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris

Reflections on January 2021

 “And if I say again that daily to discourse about virtue, and of those other things about which you hear me examining myself and others, is the greatest good of man, and that the unexamined life is not worth living, you are still less likely to believe me.” -- Socrates in Plato's Apology 

The Death of Socrates -- Jacques-Louis David -- 1787

I do believe that examining our lives--reflecting on what has come before in order to create a better life moving forward--is important.  But who could have known at the end of 2020 that January would be...well, so eventful?  There was the storming of the Capitol within the first seven days of the new year, and while there are those who do not want to deal with the consequences of their actions now, I do believe that if we don't deal with them, there can be no real healing or moving forward for any of us here.  There was the militarization of our nation's capitol.  And there was the inauguration of a new president, which in the past has sparked very little in the way of interest for me.  This was merely the process whereby our country continued to be and exist in the world.  Had the attempted coup not happened, I don't know that I would have been as invested in what came after.  That there are people in our government who want to deny or even praise what happened troubles me--more the denial than the praise, though.  Praise I can chalk up to a difference in values, but denial is willful ignorance of the past.  And that isn't something any of us should be happy with.

I also made some changes in my life to coincide with the new year; I wanted to change my outlook on life.  Rather than simply existing in the world, I wanted to try and find a way to be a part of this chaotic mess that is life on planet Earth.  Though, I can say that I very much envy the way of the hermit.  Not having to interact with the rest of the world seems more of a blessing than a curse, though I do have to wonder what hermits do with all their time--what they learn, and why they made the choice to walk away from the world.  Perhaps I'll look into that at some point.

Instead, though, I choose to work on my weight by merely beginning to write down what I ate each day.  I was hoping to find trends in my eating habits, and I'm still working on that.  Come February, I'll be looking to add exercise to my daily regimen.  We'll see how that all works out.

I also decided to take a course on finding purpose and meaning in life. The things I am learning in class are definitely reflected in these first days of 2021, and as I'm learning more about how to craft a purpose and become purposeful in my life, I am taking in new concepts and revisiting some old ones and seeing them in new ways that, hopefully, will help me be more fulfilled not just this year, but for many years to come.

I've also been writing here for the past thirty days now, hoping to leave myself some inspirational thoughts for the coming year even as I practice writing--something that I love doing.  Hopefully this will be a bright spot in future days to come.  It has already offered me some valuable insights on my own capabilities and given me some ideas for improvement in that regard.  Mostly, though, I was doing this to prove to myself that I could stick with something--and hopefully if I keep at it, some good will come of it.

Also, I have been taking a picture every day; the reason for this is a rather selfish one, but something that contributes to my happiness.  I noted that seeing pictures on Facebook made me happier--especially if they were pictures of places I'd been and things I saw.  I could recall some of the emotional content of that moment, and in reflecting upon it, I found in myself a deep contentment.  So while the pictures I'm taking now may not have a lot of that "different place, new things" vibe, I do hope that when I look back on them I'll find some joy in having documented my days thusly.

Looking back over January's writings, I am amused to see that while some ideas were scrapped, the theme for the month really remained the same.  I wanted to give meaning to this new year, and I think each of the posts I've written here have done that.  To me, they reflect a genuine willingness to change, adapt, and accept this life and my own place within it.  Not everything was perfect, but nothing in this life ever really is; perhaps in accepting imperfection, there is a perfectness to be found in that.

Looking ahead, I'll be sharing some of my favorite poems with you all in February.  I want you to see the things I love and to share in them.  Perhaps you'll find a new love, too.  I haven't decided how much or how little I want to say about them, but I expect I'll want you to meet the poem where I am at; so, a little bit of explanation will be in order.

Part of the reason I'm doing poems next month is because I have always loved poetry.  If there is any one thing I'd want to be known as after I'm gone, it would be to be known as a poet.  I want to re-examine these poems, though--to consider why I love them; what, to me, makes them so good.  I am hoping that by doing this I'll be able to improve my own writing and my own poems.  And I expect they will inspire me in many ways, as I hope they will you.

I may not be a journalist or a great thinker; I am not an activist or philanthropist.  But I am an ordinary person living a very ordinary life, and perhaps in documenting that, there is some later purpose.  Or not.  Either way, it's a good journey we've begun here, and I look forward to seeing where it will lead.

Thank you for coming with me, whoever you are.  I hope that if I haven't helped, that at least I've given hope.  Here's to the many paths to come!

Celebrate Your Accomplishments

It's getting close to the end of the first month of 2021.  Usually, by now, many of us have messed up on our New Year's resolutions (assuming we even made any,) but some of us have managed to keep them.  And while it may seem silly to be proud of yourself for sticking with something for a certain number of days, it's important that we take some time to do just that.

It's important to celebrate the little accomplishments in our lives--to acknowledge that in some ways, we have grown.  Why, though?  Why is it important?

Celebrating allows us to reflect on something good in our lives--progress that provides a sense of accomplishment.  This can help us later on down the line when we're struggling to keep up with our goals.  We can look back on that moment of celebration and know that the effort we made had benefits--and so, then, our current endeavors can do the same if we stick with it.

I've been thinking a lot about resiliency this week, as my fear response has kicked into overdrive--knowing that this month's topic is about to come to an end and that I'll be diving into a new one in February.  I keep worrying that I'll just forget one day, or that I'll wake up one morning and just not want to do it--and give in to that temptation.  But that hasn't happened so far, and come Sunday, even as I am writing to the President, I'll be celebrating the fact that I have managed to write here for a whole month straight--sticking to a topic that meant something important to me.

I hope that in future days, when I'm struggling to make it to my goals I can look back on that end-of-January celebration and remember that I can do the things I set out to do.  They may not all be my best effort all the time, but I didn't quit; and I didn't give up.  Hopefully that can bolster my resolve and help me to reach the next goal and the next.

One last little tangent, as tomorrow I'll be looking back at the month as a means of reflection:

I realize that right now I don't really know what I want to do with my life.  I'm not sure what I could be good at, and although I want to get my bachelor's degree for sure, I don't know what I want to accomplish once I have it.

For a long time in high school, I thought what I wanted to do was to be an opera star.  That was the thing that everyone sort of thought I'd become, but I never really worked all that hard to understand what being an opera star meant.  I just...loved to sing and perform.  When I got to college, I began to realize that there was a lot more to opera than just singing, though.  There was stage presence, and following a conductor's baton.  There was movement and sometimes dancing required.  There were languages to learn, and theories to understand.  And as I recalled how difficult doing those things in high school were, and as I grappled with my lack of eyesight and worried about whether or not there was actually anything I could do well, I found myself despairing about my future.  And I haven't found a way past that, yet.  Every job I look at has some element of competition and a need for good eyesight--or at least awareness.  Journalism, for instance, would require that I could get around on my own, to see expressions on peoples' faces and be able to share that with others.  And that's just not something I can reliably do.  Working retail, I found that thieves began to understand I couldn't see well and would target our stores because of me.  You can't begin to know how much that made my heart ache--that I would be a drain for others.  Still, I'm going to keep exploring my options, though one of the few jobs I know I qualify for seems like a soulless endeavor meant to intrude on others' lives (call center work.)

But...there has to be something.  And I will find it.  It might not be for another few years, but I will keep looking.  I just...needed to make that confession here, because although I am making personal progress--completing goals, I'm not sure what the point of all of this is yet.

And I guess I just want you to know that if you don't know either, it's okay.  You can still accomplish things without having a larger goal in mind.  You can still keep moving forward.  And maybe your whole life will be trying to figure out what that one thing you can do in life is; I don't know.

But for now, it's important to celebrate even these small steps--to ensure that we have something to fall back on when things get tough.  We don't have to figure out everything in a moment, and maybe we never will; but we'll keep working at it.

Maybe, today then, find something to celebrate, or make a plan to have something to celebrate, and then plan out how you mean to do just that.  Then get out there and make it so.

Never Stop Learning

I called and spoke with my Grandma yesterday, and there was something that she said that made me smile: she still reads the paper every day.  She says it takes her longer to read it these days, but she keeps at it as best she's able.  She's in her nineties, lives with her husband in their own home, and I can only hope to be half as resilient in my old age as she has been.  I wonder sometimes if she ever actually thinks of herself as old, and I know she's said she is often enough.  But I don't know that she really sees herself that way.  My guess is that part of living a long life is believing you will, and then never surrendering to the idea that you can't do something.  If I ever make it to ninety, I'll do my best to let you know how it happened, though.

Still, more and more research is pointing to the idea that we need to continue to challenge our brains as we age in order to help maintain them.  We should play games and read.  We should learn new things and strive to retain our knowledge of things that are important to us.  But if my Grandma taught me anything on that call yesterday, it's simply the idea that we should never stop learning--about the world around us, about the views of others, and about ourselves.  Remaining committed to learning something new every day can sustain us in moments when everything else seems to be falling apart.

So read a paper (or an e-version of one.)  Sign up for a class.  Search out a topic that's always interested you on the internet.  Grow something new.  The seeds you plant will sustain you through the years.

Drowning in Wisdom

There is this moment when I am writing something here on the page--talking about something that I want to offer as a positive, when suddenly I am realizing all the negative connotations of the words as well.  I'll write two, three, FIVE! paragraphs in and find myself trying to explain away the darker side of the words I've written.  And then I'm throwing those words into a document for later review, or worse, simply selecting them and deleting them, both frustrated and disappointed that the message I had hoped to convey isn't as simple or pleasant as, at first, it seemed.

I have spent hours in such pursuits this week--reading articles as diverse as how we view charity to how art can help us to visualize a better future for ourselves.  Unfortunately you will find very little of that reflected back here in my writing as I want to find words that transcend needing sources outside of the few paragraphs I share here.  But the truth is, underlying most of my writing is a long stretch of unused wisdom I have gathered--along with my own anxiety and a troubled sense of ego posterity--by which I mean "a fear of how what I've written will be seen by present and future generations."

Hence the search for words and ideas that will transcend this moment--perceived negatives and all.  But, sadly, the truth is that most wisdom in the guise of easily remembered phrases can just as often be used for evil as  they can for good.  I often ponder this when I'm writing.  For example, when I exhorted myself and others to be brave, I later considered how those who stormed the capitol on January 6th likely thought themselves such.  Some, no doubt, truly believed the election had been rigged and stolen from them.  How far might you go to right a wrong in something that you believe strongly in?

So, while I want to tell you to keep reaching out to others even (and especially) when you feel like your efforts aren't being noticed, I also worry about those people out there who are willing to prey upon people searching for just such acknowledgement.  I worry that even as I enthusiastically champion using your own voice, there are people out there who will see that as a clarion call to share their hatred, fear, or greed in ways that harm others.

And so, while I sit here, drowning in a sea of good wisdom, I am left with the inescapable reality that even the best of things can be turned about and twisted--mocked and ridiculed for blindly offering hopeful aspirations that may one day be misused.  So let me say this, then:

Do not create for greed.  Do not seek to profit by exploiting fear (though there is a case here for horror films and the horror genre in general.) Do not spread hatred with your works in the world (though your efforts may inspire it.)  Instead create because it is the passion of your whole self.  Profit from the love that you inspire in others, and seek to build a world that is better than when you will inevitably leave it behind.  Maybe, in this way, true wisdom will be found.

Credit: Berkeli Alashov, Unsplash.com

Start Where You're At

I wanted to tell you that who you are is good enough.  I wanted to say that you shouldn't be content with discontent.  But really, I just want you to start where you're at; it's the only place to begin, and if you can do that, then you're on your way to somewhere new.  I can't tell you it'll be without setbacks or that you won't find yourself lost half-way there.  I certainly can't tell you if it's going to be better than where you are now, but if you don't start--how will you ever know?

So why didn't I choose the other affirmations I mentioned?

Telling yourself that you're good enough as you are is sometimes a good thing; it says that imperfection isn't bad.  It says that you can be okay with yourself not being the person you want to be yet.  But the problem with telling yourself that you're good enough is that it can lead to complacency in your life.  In being okay with being imperfect, we can sometimes slip into a bad habit of thinking that the problem with the world isn't us, but everyone else.  And sometimes being okay with who we are right now can lead us to stop believing in a better future for ourselves.

As for not being content with discontent, often this is a good thing, too.  It makes us consider our choices and prompts us to keep striving to do better.  It can be a catalyst for change.  But it can also lead us to believing that everything is within our power to change--that the outside world can be made to conform to our ideal norms when that often isn't the case.  More often, the discontent we feel is something that we need to change about ourselves and how we view the events and circumstances in our lives.  But this, too, can lead to simply settling for less than what we are capable of achieving.

For example, say you want to lose weight.  There are plenty of outside sources in the world willing to give you opinions about the best way to do this, or why you do (or don't,) need to.  If we start with the assumption that we are good enough as we are, we may decide to discount information that contradicts this.  We might choose, instead, to believe that changing who we are by losing weight is in some way diminishing who we are as a person, and that others should neither judge nor criticize us for the choice we have made.  But science tells us that being overweight can lead to adverse health outcomes; we are more prone to disease and may live shorter lives.  Conversely, if we're not overweight, but we feel like we are, choosing not to be okay with where we're at can lead people to anorexia or bulimia.  So you see that both sides of the coin can become problematic if we don't examine the idea that who we are is good enough.

Looking at the idea of not being content with discontent, let's consider the same issue of weight.  In the overweight story, not being contented with our weight can lead to better outcomes over all.  It can remind us of our goals and help us to keep striving toward them.  But what about those who feel fat but aren't?  Choosing to apply the idea that we should not be okay with discontent can again lead to problematic choices like anorexia and bulimia rather than acknowledging that there is a mental or emotional issue that is prompting our discontent--rather than our weight.  And that is why it is so important to examine our discontent and make choices that are going to help us rather than harm us.

We need, then, to examine our lives--to understand where we are at, where we long to be, and how we can go about achieving those things.  And that is why I chose today's affirmation: start where you're at.  Take a look at where you are today--how you're feeling, what you want to accomplish, where you want to be versus where you are.  And then consider how you want to go about achieving those things in your life.  Do you want to just jump right in?  Do you want to set aside some time to plan?  Do you not even know what your goals are yet?  Whatever the case may be, it's important to have a starting point--and that point is now, here, this moment, and you.

So today, start.

Start where you're at.

Practice What Matters

I remember a time when I was younger, and I was taking piano lessons.  My dad told me that if I wanted to get better at it, I needed to practice. I remember that sense of pride I had when I played at my piano recital thereafter--that sense of accomplishment, knowing that I had worked hard to get where I was on that day.  The strange thing is, that performance wasn't perfect.  I'm not even certain it was anywhere near to it, but the effort I had put into practicing made the end result, imperfect as it was, worthwhile.  I remember thinking that I wanted to feel that way about everything, and thus practice should somehow produce similar results.  But team sports proved to be my undoing in that regard.  No matter how much I practiced on my own, I could never quite sync up with the rest of the team.  That lesson was disheartening, as I recall wanting to quit basketball at the time.  My parents wouldn't let me, and I was relegated to score-keeper for our team.  But even that was pretty difficult with my eyesight issues, and I despaired of ever finding a place on that team.  I was relieved when it ended, and though I tried my hand at volleyball, too, and drill team later, I often felt like a burden to the groups I did school activities with.

Coming to the realization that you're never going to be able to be the best at something no matter how much you practice is a rather depressing conclusion, but it was something I came to understand as time went on.  And maybe if someone had helped me see that being the best wasn't as important as doing my best, I might have found myself in a different place in my life than I am now.  But our society prizes competition; it is the mainstay of capitalism, and perhaps that is why I realized that capitalism and competition weren't ways that I wanted to experience value in my life--because in many ways, I couldn't.

It's then that I began a journey to try and find a way through life where who I was, was as prized as what I could do--where being the best wasn't necessary, but rather, simply being was.

I think, far too often, we over-emphasize unimportant things in our lives and the lives of our children.  We tell ourselves and them that success is the important thing, rather than finding contentment and joy in the pursuits we endeavor.  We celebrate perfection, emphasizing the best of a thing, instead of rewarding the effort of the endeavor being undertaken.  And while it is never a bad thing to appreciate the best of something in life, when we embrace it as an all-consuming passion for ourselves and others, I fear we lose out on the real beauty and joy of many accomplishments in this life.

My father, when he sat me down at the piano for that hour a day wasn't looking for perfection.  He just wanted me to try--to work at getting better, because he knew that even if I didn't master the piano, I could still derive joy and a sense of accomplishment in the attempt.  He wanted to show me that practicing yielded results.  And while I wish I had understood better that the point of things wasn't to be the best, I still remember today that practicing can make me better at things that are important to me.

So, today, maybe practice being kinder, or working past obstacles.  Practice thinking about politics, or learning something new.  Practice the things that are important to you, and you will get better at them.  It doesn't ever matter if you're the best at them; what matters is that you tried.

Practice makes progress Painting by Sai Priya Mahajan