Now is the time to get in shape for election season

We are on a serious mission right now. We’re working out, eating more fruits and vegetables, making cardio a priority and learning how to meditate. The season is almost here – and we have to be ready. Not the fall gala season. Certainly not beach vacation season. Election season.

You may have heard that there’s an election coming up in America in almost exactly four months. What are you doing to get ready?

Among other things, we’re at the gym. And on the phone with a nutritionist. Or reading articles online about functional foods and what to eat to achieve our goals. We’re recommitting to optimizing our health, no matter our age and stage.

Because we are not going down without a fight.

Here at Dandelion Chandelier, we’re taking a brief pause from our usual editorial mission – covering modern luxury in all of its elements – because there are more pressing matters to discuss. Based on the Sunday editions of the major newspapers and the political talk shows, it seems accurate to conclude that people on two-thirds of the political spectrum around the world, but particularly in America, are feeling like complete and total crap right now.

Family separations. Travel bans. The US out of the Paris Climate Accord. A surprise Supreme Court opening. Gun violence. The hits just keep on coming. Leaving a lot of us feeling depressed, discouraged, despairing, angry, lashing out, comfort eating (or drinking), and self-medicating. We are a hot mess right now.

Every time there’s a glimmer of hope, it gets completely overshadowed by the next bit of news.

It’s a dark, ugly time. And many good people of compassion, patriotism and integrity are exhausted. Seriously, how could one not be?

The news is all bad most days, and we feel helpless to impact the issues we care about. We’re worried for our families, our kids, our neighbors. Our nation. We feel paralyzed many days. We want to stay in bed. Or turn inward and pretend that politics doesn’t matter. Or go on an extended vacation at a site with no cell or Internet service. We are spent.

This is how bad people can win, at least temporarily, by the way: by emotionally wrecking us, bullying us, taunting us. Baiting us. Daring us to descend to their level and mocking us when we can’t be as nasty as they are, even when we try.

A state of despair and hopelessness is exactly what bad people want in their adversaries. If one side is too tired to fight, then the other side automatically wins. Right?

So what are we supposed to do? Like, is it still OK to go to Martha’s Vineyard in a few weeks?

Yes, dear reader, it is. But bring your running shoes.

It occurs to us that we need to start getting in shape for the fall, and not because we want to look cute for back to school, or back to work. We need to start getting in shape because we need to be in peak condition to fight for the soul of our nation.

You care about racial justice? Women’s rights? LGBTQ rights? Human rights? Global democracies? Affordable healthcare, even if you have a pre-existing condition? Global warming? Being on the side of the angels? Then you are going to be really busy this fall. And like an NFL player, you need to be in training camp right now.

We need to rest up. Get lots of high-quality sleep. Strengthen up. Get healthier, get smarter, and renew our energy. It’s time to act like a Wise Adult. No empty calories, no empty threats. It’s time to eat like you mean it – like you’re an athlete preparing for the most important competition of your life. Because you may very well be.

We need clear heads, carefully crafted messages, street smarts, savvy and sufficient hydration.

If you didn’t know it before, you surely know it now: this upcoming election is a very serious competition. And you therefore need to be in fighting trim.

We’re not talking about violence, clearly. We’re not even talking about taking the low road. We fully agree with what Michelle Obama stated so eloquently: when they go low, we go high. But going “high” effectively takes strength and nuance and focus and endurance. A thick skin. A fearless heart. And even a sense of humor.

So if you haven’t already, it’s time to get ready now. Some folks have been out there on the front lines, making their voices heard, for quite some time. They’ve got to be tired. Its time to send in reinforcements.

So eat well. Get enough sleep, even if it means turning off cable news for an hour or two before bed. Meditate. Take up Tai Chi. Or Qi Gong. Clear your mind, build your mental strength. You have agency here. Find the things that give you strength and courage, and start building a reserve supply of both. We have exactly four months. And then it’s all over, one way or another. At least for a while.

Once you feel ready, if you haven’t already done so, take all of that energy and focus and get engaged. You can write checks, you can write op-eds, you can write songs and rallying cries, you can register voters, you can persuade your family, your friends, your co-workers, your gym buddies, and the rest of your posse to vote in November. Drive them to the polling station if you have to. And be sure that you’re registered yourself – don’t miss your state deadline.

We all have to work our butts off as soon as we are able to do it – but we also have to build up reserves of strength for the time when it really matters, which is post-Labor Day. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

They say that a crystal-clear driving motivation is the best way to increase our personal health and well-being.

The future of our nation is at stake here. What further motivation do you need? We’ll see you at the gym.

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