Thank you to Jen Hofmann

“If you feel overwhelmed right now, this is normal.”

Jen Hofmann starts her latest inspired message with these words. Who ISN’T feeling overwhelmed these days? Politics are a real minefield on top of Covid-19 and economic meltdowns and peaceful protesters being shot by other protesters. No matter what your political persuasion might be, these are trying times.

Enter Jen. She is a pretty inspiring person and, as you may know, following the lead of people who inspire you can help cut down on your sense of overwhelm. Jen makes it easy to follow her lead. Take a look. You can read about Americans of Conscience Checklist here and you can subscribe to her checklist here. She started Americans of Conscience Checklist in 2018 and has faithfully followed through with her Facebook posts, checklists, inspired messages, Zoom meetings and emails, week after week. She provides a way to help you take action to help reduce the anxiety and stress we might be feeling and reminds us that those actions have a much greater impact when multiplied.

In her latest message, she comments on when she stood underneath some 1,000-year old sequoias and has this to say (and yes, those are sequoias in the image above) –

“…The strength of these mighty trees allows them to withstand fire, drought, and frigid cold. I learned that they manage to grow on nearly soil-less mountaintops yet do not fall over in high wind. I mistakenly believed it was their deep roots that make them strong.

But that’s not true. Beneath the soil, sequoias reach out in every direction to entwine their roots with their neighbors. They merge their fates together. While one sequoia is powerful alone, they are nearly invincible in solidarity.“

I think it’s fair to say that Jen speaks for Americans who are troubled by our country’s current leadership but her accomplishments, commitment, and leadership are inspiring no matter what political views you hold. I know I am inspired by her actions to hold fast to my faith in America and the solidarity of her citizens. Thank you, Jen.

I am certain that, just like the sequoias, it will take ALL of us, whatever our age, race, nationality, gender, or political or religious beliefs, holding tight to our shared roots to make it through this time as a cohesive, unified country.