Small Acts, Big Impact: Finding Your Place in the Resistance
4 Ways to Move Forward When Things Are Going Backwards
We find ourselves in a moment of profound upheaval, a revolution that often feels like a relentless dismantling—of our ideals, our moral compass, the very foundations of our democracy, our sense of security, and the familiar rhythms of our lives. I refuse to be consumed by this tide of absurdity, nor will I surrender to despair. Instead, I seek pathways forward, avenues that affect meaningful change while anchoring me in gratitude for the abundant blessings, both mine and yours, that often go unacknowledged. Here are four practices that have helped me navigate these turbulent times. I share them in the hope they offer you solace and strength.
Creation in the Face of Destruction
“We have to create. It’s the only thing louder than destruction.” - Andrea Gibson
Make no mistake - the people at play are working to punish those of us who have different morals and values. They want to drive division. It feeds their agenda. They want to weaken us and to stifle our voices. I have no interest in letting them.
Instead, I’m focusing on creation and art that feeds my soul.
Luckily, I've finally hit the age where I can put my ego aside and fail at art and piano a million times over and really enjoy the process of getting better with each try. What a gift it is to let go of the idea that I'm not "talented enough" and to instead realize the incremental improvement and fruits of hard work, repetition and failure. Age is a gift. Art is a gift. Both can be healing, and I choose to put my time, energy and effort where it will make a difference. This is making a difference for me.
When I come up for air after a few hours at the piano, I generally have everything figured out. It’s meditative. It shuts out the world and brings to the surface everything that truly matters.
A few hours spent staring at the faces of my sweet kids while I sketch them will cure ALL that ails me - and help me remember WHY we my push back, fortify and continue the fight.
My Resistance Journal
Every morning, I get up and I look for a few ways I can contribute to the resistance. In order to be able to see that I’m putting one foot in front of another in the face of a swarming beehive of chaos, I keep notes of what I did that day to move things forward. I call it “Danni’s 2025 Resistance Log,” and as silly as it seems, it makes me feel better.
There is peace in seeing the ways that you contribute - and these notes have made it easier for me to share with others how they can do the same.
Curating My Content
I have temporarily muted my friends who are spinning out about Trump - not because I don’t need to know - but because I don’t need to carry their anxiety in addition to mine. On BlueSky (find me at stldanni.bsky.app!) I have the words “Trump” and “Musk” muted - and I’m adding new ones every day. I take in the news at my own pace, from my own sources:
Tangle Newsletter - If you’re tired of politicized news and not being sure if you can trust news sources, subscribe to Tangle. It’s a highly researched, wholly bipartisan and very informative. If only all news were like this.
Good Queer News - There are victories happening every day. Ben does a great job of celebrating them. Ben’s energy will restore yours when its lagging. He leads with joy - and I am so grateful for the beauty he puts into the universe.
Ground News - See news from every angle with this amazing tool, which visually shows you the spin on each article - whether it’s left leaning or right leaning or if it’s truly neutral. It’s enlightening to say the least.
Dumb Cat Videos - I’ve stopped reacting to political posts altogether and am reformulating my algorithm to feed me dumb cat videos. :) Highly Recommend Cats vs. Aluminum Foil.
Doubling Down on Community
When Trump was FIRST elected, I was on an island in every sense. I was attending a rather conservative church, trying to push down my views, my queerness so as not to rock the boat while my kids attended the attendant Lutheran School. I worked for a company that was entirely Republican and I was living in a highly conservative community. I was devastated and very much alone and had no idea how to plug in or fight back. Add a big heaping scoop of COVID on top and you have some very sad years.
This time around, everything is different. We’ve moved to a community in line with our values. Everyone on our street has our back or at the very least shares our values. I am surrounded by incredible people in every area of my life. My community includes local leaders, fellow members of PFLAG and Transparent, my connections with PROMO Missouri and a highly curated group of much-loved, much-aligned friends. This will fortify me in the years to come.
Bailey Schuchmann recently said, “…The groundwork for revolution has already been in construction for centuries. The fact is oppressed groups have been building community, mutual aid, and grass root resistance for years. You don’t have to build the revolution, you just have to find it and join in. Because it already exists and it’s probably already in your city, town, and neighborhood. You don’t even need to do anything to find it, except walk outside and meet your neighbors. And that’s the second step. The only way we are going to get through these next few years is by listening to and learning from those who have already been through this fight before, over and over again.”
What’s your community going to look like as you navigate this time?
These are, without a doubt, challenging times. The dismantling of so much we hold dear can feel overwhelming, leaving us adrift in a sea of uncertainty. But as Bailey so eloquently reminds us, the seeds of resistance have long been sown. The revolution isn't something we must build from scratch; it exists already, woven into the fabric of our communities, waiting for us to join.
It's in the quiet acts of creation, the diligent documentation of our efforts, the careful curation of information, and the unwavering embrace of community that we find our strength. It's in the shared values of our neighborhoods, the support of organizations like PFLAG and PROMO, and the bonds we forge with like-minded friends that we discover the power to persevere.
So, I ask you, what will your community look like as you navigate these turbulent times? How will you find your place in this ongoing revolution, not just as a witness, but as an active participant? The answers, I believe, lie not in grand pronouncements, but in the small, everyday acts of resistance, creation, and connection that, together, form the bedrock of lasting change. Let us find solace and strength in each other, and together, build a future worthy of the ideals we hold so dear.
xoxo - Danni ∞
This is a wonderful list and I love your Resistance Journal - Tracy
This is extremely well done! It can feel overwhelming to feel responsible for "fixing the world" all at once. I am a particularly huge fan of a resistance log!! Mine is a two parter: What did I do for others today? What did I do for myself today?