Shift the Country is doing “Stories” posts from people working to make shift happen. Stories are our humanity; they are who we are, were we came from, what we’re dealing with, and where we’re going. They’re also key to several of the 5 Things. Today’s story is from Shift the Country founder Vanessa Burnett. If you’re interested in guest-posting a story, let us know.
🚨 Another night, another anaphylaxis. Uh, I sometimes say "Try not to get dead." 🤦🏼♀️ That's been trickier this month w/a second anaphylaxis Christmas night. 🤷🏼♀️
Once again... I do not recommend. Zero stars. 🚫 Two EpiPens. 💉💉 Is that a viable rating? Definitely 100% suboptimal. 💯
And now our family has an official new holiday tradition because *last* Christmas I was in the emergency room (ER) for partial anaphylaxis. 🎄 So that's nice.
🚫 The family also does not recommend.
Other than these terrifying surprises when I eat even slightly interesting food, this year has been tough but amazing. I got the backing to finally put this new thing in the world that we're FINALLY ready to actually do stuff for. It starts Wednesday. 39 daily calls scheduled to get to February.
I'm creating the space, and the through-line. ➖➖
We build out & iterate from there. 🚀 People can jump in when it works. Semper gumby. We're going to invent it as we go and maintain maximum flexibility. Organic city baby. 🌿This thing is going to grow wild like kudzu.
🧩🤷🏼♀️ So how weird is it that I JUST got the last pieces in place yesterday and then had my closest-yet run-in yet with death tonight? Weird. It's weird.
🧩 “The last pieces” include 39 daily working calls for teamwork and brainstorming and shift building that start Wednesday and get us to February…
🎬 How weird is it that while I was in a movie scene kind of an acute ER experience tonight that one of the reasons I don't want to check out of this planet yet is that after ALL THE FREAKING WORK I DID TO FINALLY GET THIS POLITICAL SHIFT GOING that it could evaporate if I disappear?
Even more weirdly... it's oddly motivating.
We HAVE to get new big stuff like this initiave to work.
The website has more…https://www.shiftthecountry.com/
🇺🇲 I'm damn serious about this country. 🔥 After 9.11, I left my career in wild fire to help with national stuff to help this country be better. Seriously. They had helicopters and aircraft and all the big iron. And FIRE. But I saw things that needed to be done nationally and I was in a position to help. So I did. It helped. I do big vision. I play a long game.
I'm damn well not going to stop now... especially when this time the threat is INSIDE the U.S.
Nope. Just nope.
We have to leave this place better than what it is now.
Maybe not everyone feels compelled to do that. I do though. You might. I'm damn well going to do what I can.
If you'd like to try some wild and crazy stuff to raise holy heck, holler. Even if you don't need to be wild but just need to do something new and different, stick around. We're going to be up to some STUFF.
Also, bring your brain. 🧠 We're going to need very many of them. For ideas and synergy, by the way. 🧟♀️ Not for zombie food. We don't feed the zombies. Or we shouldn't, anyway.
The people living after us —some of whom I love very dearly (why I do what I do) and some I just don't know well enough to love — they need this country to function so much better.
We can get it there.
We need democracy to protect all of the humans. To help us have better lives. We lose that shot if the damn thing falls.
So this is the stuff I think about in the ER. 🏥🧠
To be fair, I also spent a hell of a lot of time during tonight's quality ER time wondering what on earth I'm going to eat... since I don't know what I'm having anaphylaxis reactions to (not needing advice, though; not the point here). So there's that part too. 🏃🏼♀️ Running the food gauntlet. 🗺️ Navigating the sustenance minefield.
But I can work through that. It's not a fresh problem. It's just freshly terrifying. I made it from February 2022 all the way through November with no reactions. It can be done.
So. 💊 Back to being on steroids this week. 💊 Can do. 💊 Better living through chemistry.
Wednesday night the through-line for this work starts. 📆⏰
And we're off and running. 🌱
And it looks like I'm going to need to try a little bit harder to not get dead.
I suppose I knew that... but humans tend to try and push things as far as we can we can without making life more difficult.
🚨 Not *having* life makes it difficult for life to even be difficult, though.
So now I have a much better understanding of that.
I want to live.
I tried pretty hard at it today. I really did. Makes me think I'm pretty fired up about it.
I want to live.. and I want to do some good.
Because I can. I'm in a position to help. You might be too. Now we just need to get a few of us together… or a few hundred or thousand or million or whatever.
We can. We've already been doing it. We're just fixing to take it to new levels.
Now I just need to... you know... find some actual funding that I can live on and also hire some help so we can all help each other turn this big Shift the Country idea into actual reality. So we can for real keep this nonprofit going now that everything's in place.
💸 Details. 🤷🏼♀️
If you're in a position to help, donations can go here https://www.shiftthecountry.com/donate or to ActBlue here… https://secure.actblue.com/donate/shiftthecountrynow. Or, subscribe with a donation…
I'll tell you what. That's a whole hell of a lot less terrifying than having your throat try to kill you off.
I'll take it. It's all perspective. I can go after finding money. I can keep going after Blbuilding the whole damn thing — this initiative. 🤺 One could call me extra fired up.
It's a big vision. I think we can do big huge things. I think we *need* to. I think politicians and old school politics have gotten us this far, but you can't break new ground doing more of the same.
⌛⚡ Time to shake things up.
Be well. Be safe. Look after your people. Look after any people. Look after yourself.
Some of us really need it. And some of us are really good at doing it. I do a little bit of both. A lot of us can.
We're going to need it ALL.
And whatever it is you're doing, try not to get dead.
We. Need. Us.
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