I have always loved being in/around water, whether that means kayaking at a local reservoir, swimming at the pool, or wading along a shoreline. Water helps me to feel connected, grounded, at peace. Listening to ocean sounds at bedtime helps me to unwind and relax my brain.

Speaking of needing to offer my brain a break, the craziness of this country right now causes my mind to feel like it is being buffeted by waves in the ocean. Each new day’s headlines strike me as even more frenetic and tumultuous than the day before, and as soon as my swirling thoughts manage to come up for air, I’m being smacked in the face with another breaker.

Back in my swim team days, we used to have an endurance training exercise where we would have to swim laps fully clothed. Jeans and shoes become very heavy underwater, not to mention the drag they cause – simultaneously pulling you backward while also weighing you down.

That’s what the news feels like in America these days: many of us are trying to stay afloat against a tide that is actively trying to drown us. Some hindrances are obvious, like jumping into a pool with clothes: indiscriminate firings of federal employees; and Chief Cheeto’s praise for Putin. Other obstacles are more insidious, like undertow: canceling press passes for certain media outlets, while extending privileges to more “loyal” ones; or Elon Musk targeting agencies that were investigating complaints against his companies. Conflict of interest much??

Undertow is a current beneath the surface of the water, moving in a different direction from visible currents. I’ve heard horror stories since I was a kid about adept swimmers drowning not far from the coast after being caught in undertow. This water terror phenomenon is sneaky; it catches you unaware and ensnares even accomplished swimmers.

The key to pulling yourself free from undertow? Swim sideways.

Swim parallel to shore until you have broken away from the stronghold of the current. Conserve your energy, so you can keep fighting. Float, if need be. Just stay alive.

Many of us right now are trying to fight against the current, which is both exhausting and dangerous. We’re screaming into the void: “Can’t you people see what is happening?!?”, yet it falls on deaf ears. We are sharing empirical research, using critical thinking skills, recognizing historical precedent – all while trying to convince the current to change its course. Yet, the people who need to see the facts refuse to acknowledge the truth; they only believe whatever comfortable narrative reinforces their narrow worldview.

In the process, we’re all drowning.

It hurts my heart to think about how devastating the ripple-effects from this presidential administration will be over both the short- and long-term. We’re already seeing some of it in the way this country has alienated itself from even our closest allies, while cozying up to the world’s biggest bullies. We’re seeing it in the mindless way that Red-hatters and political sycophants are aligning themselves with heartless power-mongers while turning a cold shoulder to their neighbors.

If we are to ever to rise again from this storm surge, I believe it will require us to severely shift course, to swim sideways. The esteemed America that the rest of the world used to look up to and respect is gone, and as difficult as that is to accept, we’re going to have to navigate together how to get safely back to shore.