Reading · Ignition Notes from Books For Littles

image: Oh shit. what do I do now? tangled roots & raising luminaries collaborative workshop. images collage of taped mouths, forest fires, shattered glass, solidarity fist, skull, plastic army men, justice 4 all protest poster

Hey friend,

I thought I was just planning a yard sale. But really? I’ve been doom-looping. Three weeks of spreadsheets, calculating a loss/benefit analysis of every dry-erase marker and family photo. (Fun fact: I own 827 types of items. Thanks, OCPD.)

When everything feels shaky and urgent, how do you know what to let go of and what to hold on to?

I know my compulsions aren’t about stuff. My brain is trying to confirm safety. One minute I’m calculating the replacement costs of a box of envelopes, the next I’m wondering if I should spend a week building the perfect bug-out bag. My access to groceries and healthcare tells me we’re fine, but my news feed says any day now.

So to soothe the aforementioned obsessive compulsions, I’ve been preemptively assessing every single thing I own. Will getting rid of our family’s Frog and Toad Storybook Treasury now make it a little easier to cut and run if/when the worst comes?

All that doom-scrolling and panic-decluttering scatters me and drains the energy I need to actually fight back.

image: animated gif of a child floating in shallow water, clinging to a thick rope, screaming for help. Someone swoops in to help the child stand up, and they realize the water is only about a foot deep.

And I know I’m not the only one asking: Oh shit. What now?

For so many of us with friends-of-friends who have been taken by ICE, or killed in Gaza, or fled a school shooting - what do we do? Do we spend our limited time and resources getting safe enough to think clearly, or do we jump in without a plan to stop the danger before it gets to our families?

So let’s get together for a collaborative workshop and find the balance - What do we do now?

Image: screen preview of our ‘oh shit, what do I do now’ choose-your-own adventure map flow chart to help you get a grip and resist without taking on too much.

A free, live, 1-hour virtual session where we’ll polish a simple map for caregivers to move from panic to intentional action — without shutting down, spinning out, or drowning in guilt.

This isn’t homework. It’s a short gathering to figure out our next steps together, we can keep our families safe while preventing things from getting worse.

In our collaborative workshop, we’ll cover:

Quick self-regulation practices so you don’t cause more harm when jumping in
5-minute actions you can take from home (even baby-wearing and sleep-deprived)
Simple ways to connect with others doing the work so it’s not on your shoulders alone
A simple Oh Shit, What Now? flow chart to keep for when panic hits and you need something to keep you moored

Once some folks register and share their availability, I’ll be back next week to announce our workshop dates.

with you,

Ashia

PS: Can’t come live? Leave a comment - what does your doom-loop look like? Your answers will shape our workshop and help other parents get unstuck.

Oh shit. Now what?

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