I don’t know if it is the start of the Year of the Fire Horse or 2026 is just a year of the drinking from a fire hose but it sure is off to a crazy start. So far, we have had two government shutdowns, the weather in DC was under freezing for three weeks while Denver has had six winter weeks in the 60s, and here in Alexandria, Va, we have our 4th election ins 2026 on Saturday.
So, how do you drink from a fire hose? Find a straw.
What I mean is get clear about what you have to pay attention to and delegate or ignore the rest. A few questions to consider.
- Are people physically safe right now? If not, that’s the first thing on your list. If they are, look out a little further, maybe today or this week.
- Are people financially safe right now? If not, then that’s what you focus on. If yes, then focus on a longer timeline – maybe a month, six months, or a year.
- Are people emotionally safe right now? If not, stop and help. If yes, make sure this is part of what you are considering.
That last one is not typical for me to include but maybe that was a mistake in the past and now seems critical. The rhetoric in the news, social media, even in relationships has blown past the civil boundaries of the past. It takes a lot of energy to weed through it all to assess what is actually dangerous from what is mean, from what was a general angry outburst and what was actually personal. Emotional safety matters. Enough that I am wondering if it should have been #2.
Above all, breath and take care of you first. Need a break? Play with pandas at the National Zoo.
Make it a great week,
Julie
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