🗳️ I Used to Guess on My Ballot

Here's what's in this email:

~One honest confession,

~one prompt that helped,

~and a little Monday joy.

Beautiful Reader Your ballot is sitting there. So is the booklet the county sent that explains what every measure means.

And you've been avoiding both of them.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd. It's time to adult. Time to make a difference and actually live what we say we want to be.

I know that sounds harsh. But it's the truth. And every time we avoid a truth, we just end up feeling worse.

I know, because I've been there.

🙈 My Confession

I've been ignorant when it comes to politics.

I didn't do the research. I listened to whoever was talking. And when I got to the ballot, I guessed. Sometimes I just left it blank.

I believe we should vote. I also know I can't control politics. I can only control what I do. So I tried to stay out of it.

This year, people kept telling me some of the amendments were really controversial. And when I listen to too many sides, I get overwhelmed, I freeze, and I ignore the whole thing.

I don't have all the answers. But I found a way to work through it, and I'm not using "I don't know enough" as my excuse anymore.

🤖 5 a.m. at My Kitchen Table

The other morning, I sat at my kitchen table at 5 a.m. with my mail-in ballot.

Before I marked a single thing, I took pictures of it. That way the AI could read my actual ballot and know exactly who and what was on it, including the candidates up for re-election.

Then I used AI to help me filter. I asked it for the pros and cons, to ask me questions, and to explain everything in sixth-grade language. Because honestly? The wording is what gets me every time.

Here's my prompt. Revise it for you and what you value. Swap in your own lean, your town, your causes and the voices you trust.

(Mine said: Heather Cox Richardson's Substack, Michael Lewis of The Big Short, predominantly Democratic, business owner, Lakewood, Colorado, and sustainability plus support for children, teachers and social work programs.)

⏰ Give It One Hour, Then Mail It In

So here's my ask, Reader: spend at least one hour on this. Then vote early and mail it in.

No lines. No rush. More time to actually think.

Just check your county's last day to mail it so it arrives in time. If you've missed it, drop it off at a ballot box instead.

So many of us complain about politics and then don't do anything about it. Let's change that.

Your voice matters. It counts. Use it on purpose.

💃 And When the Doubt Creeps In...

You know what I do. I dance it out.

With all the energy swirling right now, I've been in a lot of doubt. So I've been dancing a lot. It's something I live.

This weekend I got a spurt of inspiration. Someone suggested I turn my When in Doubt, Dance It Out deck into an app. I looked into it, and it just isn't doable right now. Then came another idea: a weekly email with a card pull.

So I made one. It took me two days. It pulled me away from my other projects, and it still gave me so much energy that I got those done too. That's what happens when you're inspired and living in alignment. The energy shows up.

It's completely free. Sign up and your first card arrives right away. Then every Monday, you'll get one of the 44 dancers in your inbox, with a short message and a tiny dance to start your week.

Fun fact: I haven't even seen the printed cards myself yet. So we're discovering them together. There might even be a Chicken Dance in your future.

If someone in your life could use a little joy (or a nudge to finally open that ballot), forward this to them.

Go do your hour. Then go dance.

💃 Dancing Through the Doubt,

Thuy "twee"

Your muse to help you find YOUR MUSE, laughing all the way.