I am waiting for the call to inform me that my government benefits are being cancelled. I need them. I am one of the many people in the US who have paid into this system and desperately need it to pay me back when I am struggling. That’s how it’s supposed to work.
Still, here’s what I noticed recently. Verification for citizenship has increased like I have never seen before. They have my passport, my birth certificate and my driving license. But they keep asking me to verify that I am an American citizen and so are my children. As far as I know, American citizenship just… doesn’t expire. So, why do I have to prove it?
Why racism? As ICE continues to abduct and detain people illegally, social services are trying to ensure they are not feeding or helping anyone who is an immigrant, illegal or otherwise. But I don’t know how many times I can say that I was born here and prove that they believe me.
I’ve also noticed that even though the cost of living is higher, the income threshold for families continues to decrease. The poverty line continues, making it impossible for low-income families to qualify for benefits. What is interesting about this particular calculation is that they factored in the cost of living as part of their process. Now, they only calculate cost of living if an applicant first shows they’re already below the current poverty line.
It might be understandable if the poverty line didn’t play the game of instability. It’s steadily declining, preventing more and more people from accessing the benefits of a system they’ve paid for over the years. They also do not calculate the income properly. I have some income which is paid quarterly and is variable. They always default to the highest number, not the lowest, making it difficult for me to qualify.
Life is becoming difficult for so many people. Food and fuel prices are too high and incomes are not growing as fast. Many people I know are constantly stressed about how they are going to make ends meet. We’re stretched too thin.
The ship is sinking.
The ship is sinking
We are struggling. It means not the millionaire class. The rest of us. The billionaire class is happy to raise prices to profit from us.
But I have a little advice for those of us who are struggling: when the ship is sinking, save what you can.
I don’t mean money. Most of us don’t have enough to save. What I mean is to do good in this world. Save the planet by recycling or composting. Fostering a shelter animal. Rescue the wildlife. Donate to a food bank. We can all do something. We may not have money to give, but we may have a little time or a few extra cans of food or love in our hearts to give to another pet.
Life is hard, but each of us has the power to make it a little better for someone else. It also has the side benefit of acting as a life raft to save us when we feel discouraged that nothing is going well. It feels good to be a part of things being good. There is nothing like it.
At my lowest, I have raised shelter pets. I have space. They need love. I can’t afford to adopt them, and can’t afford to donate to many of the causes I would otherwise support. But I can keep an animal safe and loved in my home until they find their forever family. I can share posts to spread the message of the causes I support I can find something that makes it seem like my time on this earth is more than just working, paying bills, and dying.
Make sure you save anything
The greed of billionaires, the stupidity of the entire Republican Party, and the ridiculousness of Congress that doesn’t have conflict of interest rules that don’t prevent them from making money off of votes makes it feel good to just sit around and help others. Bettering my community feels better than endlessly creating a budget that highlights that I’m going out rather than coming in. I feel a little less defeated when I can find ways to be helpful, even if helping is another way I’m trying to save myself in the process.
Trying to save myself. There are days I don’t want to get out of bed. I don’t want to face another day’s challenge. I feel like I’m drowning.
So, I reached out a hand. Sometimes, it looks like fostering a shelter pet I need. It’s another reason to be, another reason that binds me to a life that is difficult but often rewarding. I donate to food banks when I can, when I have extra, even if it’s just a little extra egg from the chickens or squash from my garden.
I try to help the earth and the wild animals in it. I don’t kill spiders or spray wasps. I don’t put pesticides on my property, and I make my garden a wild place with plenty of shelter, food and water for pollinators. I recycle and compost, and I pick up trash that shouldn’t be my responsibility but because I live here too. I take charge even when I’m surrounded by pesticide-sprayed monoculture lawn enthusiasts. I know better, therefore I am better. And for a little while, it saves me too.
The truth is, we can’t save anyone else if we don’t save ourselves.
But it is equally true that sometimes we save ourselves by saving other people.
I don’t mean walking red flags that everyone in your life hasn’t asked you out on a date. I am talking about those who cannot save themselves. Fireflies. butterfly the bee shelter animal Families who depend on food banks for survival. Those who need a little sympathy rather than a little more judgment are extended. A world that needs everything we have to bring to the table that feels increasingly empty due to rising costs and rising pressures.
Saving ourselves means going to therapy and working after the sessions are over. It means trying to be a better person, to treat other people better. It has better boundaries and is clearly communicated. It loves people, especially themselves.
But saving other people can be done alongside all that. On a sinking ship, I’m saving what I can. I am doing what I think is right. I don’t just think about me; I’m looking at the big picture.
Because I hope I can do it…
But I hope you can do it.
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This post was Previously published at medium.com.
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Photo credit: Insung Yoon at Unsplash
