Listen, you don’t HAVE lie on the couch or in bed scrolling Twitter & feeling discouraged & hopeless. You can go outside. You can get one chore done. You can treat yourself with a favorite snack or meal. You can call a friend out of nowhere & talk for hours.

You can do a search for “Black artists I should know about.” You can bake bread & take it to a neighbor’s house & say thank you for being a cool neighbor. You can donate a thing. You can play music, paint, write, tell your partner(s) everything you love in them, laugh at a joke.

You can ask a family member to tell you stories about the old days. You can research a topic that interests you & share everything you learn with someone who likes you. You can make a list of 10 people to call or text just to say, “I love you.” You can invite someone for a walk.

You can take a blanket to a park & lie on the grass, listening to the breeze & the birds & the trees & your breath. You can put on a favorite album & dance alone in your room. You can get on a zoom or discord call & dance with others. You can tell someone you are proud of them.

You can read a book that’s been sitting on your shelf for years, unread. You can ask your mom or dad or grandma how to make that beloved family meal. You can stand up & recite poetry in the mirror. You can drive to a place you’ve never been & put a pin on a map for it.

You can ask someone, “How are you feeling?” & really listen, & ask follow-up questions. You can text your parent or sibling with a favorite memory of your lives together. You can eat something that just makes you feel good. You can learn a magic trick, or how to play a card game.

You can ask a friend to meet you for coffee or tea. You can do another chore. You can start that hobby that you’ve been afraid to try. You can take a nap in the sunshine. You can make those appointments you’ve been dreading. You can celebrate someone else’s victories.

You can forgive someone. You can ask them for forgiveness. You can memorize a poem or monologue from a movie or play & perform it for your parent or partner or friend. You can claim joy in everything that your mind & body can do for you & for others. You can do it.
You can do it.