Have you ever borne a heavy burden for so long that you were weary to the very bone and just longed to throw it off? 

I am studying chapter one of Isaiah at 2:30am. As I read, I wondered how many of us felt the above statement right now, weary to the very bone. It has been a pervasive weariness, reading the news, watching the politics, seeing the future education and health ramifications from safeguards suspended for “profitability.”

Yes, that was my kind of weary to the bone the first few weeks of the new presidency. That same circus continues with each executive order, with each appointed minion bending to the 2025 Agenda, heaped more weight on my already weary body. And, I understand, I can empathize with, those who cry their anger out on social media, watching, reading, or hearing the latest executive order or laws to suspend regulations because of belief, not science.

And, given the perceived absolute power of billionaires to push their agendas, I finally stepped back, deciding how I can purposely move forward. I am personally examining what I can do to affect change for this world.

Embrace the “one thing” you can do, whether your niche is posting to social media, peaceful demonstrations, or sit-ins, loving unconditionally in soup kitchens or meals-on-wheels, do it. Find your niche. “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17 NIV

Use your voice. DO NOT be dismayed. Be strong and courageous through it.

Now let me write about #health and #wellbeing from a #nurse perspective. As the administration continues to strip or defund agency watchdogs – the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Centers for Disease Control –  #healthcareprofessionals will have their hands full, especially from #fenceline communities, living near refineries or chemical plants. Even living downstream or downwind is problematic. That said, it has been problematic for years.

All #nurses or #physicians should be asking these questions of their patients:

Did you grow up near any refinery, polluted area, or a home with leaded paint?

What sort of pollution have you been exposed to?

Have you had any jobs where you were exposed to solvents, heavy metals, fumes, or other toxic material?

How are we going to increase our span of influence to educate and illuminate these ongoing hazards? Write or call you legislators. Educate your neighbors, friends, and patients on these hazards. Talk preventive measures. Champion education going forward. We don’t need continued idiocracy based on beliefs, rumors, or fairytales. WE will need citizen scientists monitoring their communities for contamination.

We will all need to work together to “care for” ourselves mentally and physically as greenhouse gas goals are abandon and our planet becomes more hostile. Then, take that care one step further, care for each other. Community in adversity will keep you strong.