We Need Joy & Community Right Now
FEBRUARY 26TH, 2025
There’s no way around it, folks: things are bad out there right now.
It’s a frightening and confusing and infuriating time in America. For those of you in the Multiverse community who are part of historically marginalized groups—PoC, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, the neurodiverse, immigrants and the children of immigrants, etc.—it’s especially scary. A small percentage of cruel, ignorant people is trying their hardest to destroy your basic rights, the services you depend on, your access to opportunities, your safety and protections, and even erase evidence of your very existence.
We don’t like to be all “doom and gloom” around here, but it’s important to acknowledge how difficult things are at this moment in time. We see you and we want you to know you are seen. And you’re not alone.
That’s why, more than ever, we need joy and community in our lives right now. We need friends, we need laughter, we need both simple pleasures and big wins. The people trying to make everything awful for us really hate it when we’re happy… so let’s find ways to be happy. They want to divide and isolate us, so let’s gather together. They don’t want us to exist, so let’s keep existing and refuse to go away! Every one of us deserves to be here, and every one of us deserves happiness. Joy and community are revolutionary acts.
So where can we find joy and community in such a dark and confusing time? We can find them almost anywhere, if we remember to look:
Revisit and share you favorite art, music, movies, books, etc. There’s a lot of power in creativity.
Reach out to your friends; they’d probably love to hear from you, and you never know when you might make someone’s day, even with a simple “How are you holding up?” text message.
Get out in nature for a few minutes if possible…
…or try a new hobby or game.
Expand your horizons in simple small ways. If you can, go to your favorite events where you can be around Your People for a little while (it’s so refreshing).
Allow yourself to be afraid, uncertain, sad, angry; all of those feelings are extremely valid right now. But also allow yourself to find a little hope here and there.
Allow yourself to begin to rejuvenate when you’re ready.
The next while is not going to be easy or pretty in the USA, but we can’t cede the cultural battlefield. Every small way that we can continue being our weird, wonderful, unique selves, finding laughter and joy and community with others, those all add up to a huge tide of cultural resistance over time.
Some days it’s easy to feel frustrated and even guilty about “not doing enough.” But we all have different ways to contribute, and they change from day to day, and they all matter.
Did you share a joke and a smile with the barista at your coffee shop today? You helped.
Did you text a friend to see if they’re ok? You helped.
Did you paint a single brushstroke or write 10 words? You helped.
Did you organize a game night for a few folks? You helped.
Did you simply continue existing, despite knowing there are some terrible people who would prefer you didn’t? You helped.
ALL of it matters.
There’s a lot of heavy work to be done in the political and legal arenas to salvage something from the dumpster fire we’re currently witnessing (and if you’re participating that way, thank you and keep it up), but that’s a separate conversation.
For this moment, just know that you are enough, you are loved, and your existence alone contributes to the better world we all want to see.
Find your people. Find your joy. We’ll see you in October.
-The Multiverse Team