Steve Hickman

It's worked out fine (mostly), but I will NOT stand by and be quiet when my fellow humans are being harmed by greedy evil fascists pretending to be heroes. F*ck that.
#resist

I've spent over 65 years on this earth, mainly being a quiet, agreeable, peaceful and reflective person. I've been a bit of a people-pleaser and a consensus-builder who enjoys peace and quiet and shuns conflict.

2) There was no evident concerted, organized or strategic effort on the part of Democrats or others to organize and resist politically. Not to say they aren't doing anything, but it was never mentioned.

The bottom line is that together we need to be strong and loud and never give up.

Dark Spots:
1) Their strategy is to keep breaking the law and flooding the zone so we either give up, shut up or join them. They're playing a long game and hoping for the Supreme Court to back them up.

2) Hoyle reminded us that the best time to defeat fascism is in its earliest stages - like NOW!
3) Privately, many R's are against this mess but, maddeningly, they are still too afraid to vote that way.

Just back from a packed Town Hall with our US Sen Merkley and Rep. Hoyle. I passed along all your questions to their staffers. I left feeling mixed, but saw 3 bright spots & 2 dark ones.
1) The main reason the funding freeze got reversed was the massive public outcry - our voices matter.
🧵

"I thought I made myself perfectly clear about no mainstream media in the house, young man!"
Rocket is perturbed by the news.

I'm here (intermittently) but now that I know you are, I might hang out more often :-)

I think California should seriously consider withholding all that Federal Tax revenue from the US government until it acts better.

The devastation in LA is heartbreaking. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose everything like this. I would be interested in hearing from folks who have had a similar experience in the past and how you navigated through it. What's are the best things we can do or say (or NOT say or do!)?

3) The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
2) The Will to Change by bell hooks
1) A Boy & His Dog at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher
What are yours?

Top Reads of 2024 for me:
7) A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
6) The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
5) Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt
4) The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
1/2

In some states (like CA) if you ask them to turn on the air machine, they are required by law to do it for free. Even though they appear to require payment.

That’s very kind of you! I’m mainly on Threads these days, but you never know ….

You have a keen eye for subtlety and nuance. You might be right.

Well, I guess that makes you spongeworthy, right?

Boundaries Are Beautiful A brief guide to the treacherous territory of family gatherings

Take good care of yourself this holiday season by tending to your boundaries up front. Read more here:
stevepsyd.substack.com/p/boundaries...

Hope-ful, Hope-less or Just Hope? Centering our attention on cultivating hope in our hearts

If your sense of hope has faded or you fear you’ve lost it altogether, this piece might be worth reading:

open.substack.com/pub/stevepsy...

I'm mostly active on Threads but dipping my toe in the water here to see what all the fuss is about.
Sincere question for folks: Do you think the concepts of masculinity or femininity has any usefulness these days?

Here's an idea: we all pitch in & pay a beloved figure (eg Morgan Freeman) to listen to the news and then to sit by a fire with a cup of tea & share it all in a kind, compassionate way that doesn't activate our nervous systems in the usual way that news does. Thoughts? We stay informed, but gently.

I’m here, about as reluctantly as you, but here nonetheless.

Listen with an inferno of fury in your heart that will forge a deeper resolve to be better, take responsibility & do more for justice.

Listen.
3/3

Listen in stillness: Helplessly surrender to the crushing weight of overpowering oppression, allowing neither fight nor flight, just as women have endured for millennia.
2/3

NOW is the time for men to . . .

Listen in silence: Fully hear women’s shrieks of rage & the echoed cries of terror and unimaginable suffering across the ages at the hands of men.
1/3

Doing A Job Too Big To Do How looking behind us may help us move forward

These are my musings on shifting our perspective in these troubling times. I tried to make it fun to read as well as (hopefully) wise. Take a look. open.substack.com/pub/stevepsy...

Sploot to sploot.

Wouldn't it be great if we could collect a ton of messages focused only on why we are voting for Harris-Walz that DON'T reference the TFG at all. Positive vibes only!
I love their focus on the middle class, personal freedom, compassion and lifting each other up.