'I'm Terrified at the State of the World'

I feel really, really scared about everything happening in the world. Like, “lose sleep about it” scared, “researching how to move to Canada” scared. Mainly, I’m scared of things that happen politically and the way that things are moving. I feel dread about climate change and things that aren’t happening to fix it.

As a public-school teacher, I feel afraid of my colleagues and of the people whose comments I read on Facebook about teachers being “groomers” and worse. I teach in a rural red district and I have a second job in a church.

I don’t know how to reckon with worrying about my sexuality again and how it now relates to how I’m perceived in my job and beyond. It scares the hell out of me! How do I cope?

In another frightening example of how civil suits could be used to intimidate providers and punish people who’ve had abortions, a man is suing a clinic over an abortion his ex-wife had four years ago. Meanwhile, in Missouri. And vaccine coverage continued to decline worldwide in 2021, with 25 million children missing out on lifesaving vaccines, according to WHO. Starting tomorrow, those seeking support during a mental-health or emotional crisis can simply dial 988 to connect to a nationwide support network. Bad Bunny is king (by which we mean, he appeared in the Spotify Top 100 the past two months, more than Harry Styles, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Olivia Rodrigo combined). Seriously, dad(s)? On the second coming and reevaluation of Tracy Flick. Hope you have a good weekend, ideally with Lizzo’s new album on repeat!

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