Like so many people with long roots in West Virginia, I have the lovemaking, hard stepping, fight starting, large drinking, genetic and cultural legacy of Ireland and Scotland in me.
It doesn’t matter much that we never owned that or planned events around it when I was young; I know now that ignoring the woven threads of how you were put together does little to nothing to change the cloth.
I suppose the Scotch-Irish piece is, however complex, the “fun” part. It’s Braveheart and bagpipes and line dancing and shamrocks and large families.
The Polish piece, the Eastern European thread, that’s the ever-surprising outlier in my garment.
My friends are asking one another about their “plan for self-care” during this election season and the inevitable point where as a nation we all try to move on, regardless of the outcome.
Regardless of the outcome.
I’ve realized I’ve talked about my Polish side as Stoicism, but that’s not what it is. Stoicism is “indifference to the vicissitudes of fortune and to pleasure and pain.”
That’s not really what’s going on with my Polish side.
It’s not indifference. It’s the technique for managing pain.
So what is my plan? It’s too late to become truly Stoic. My plan is to lean into being truly Polish.
And at first I thought that meant storing potatoes and ignoring my feelings. But then I remembered……
That’s my plan.
Prepare for the next rebellion.
Esse Diem 
The flaw in my fabric is always believing that good triumphs over evil. How one can accept a level of evil to accomplish self described goals is beyond my understanding. I do have a difficult time putting aside political differences as I evaluate friends and associates for their values and judgement. These times have become personal for me. Masks have become a metaphor for caring and responsibility in my assessments. We, collectively have become a very selfish, self-centered society. It’s not the world I grew up in. If I had a plan, it wouldn’t be for self-care. We all need to find a way to come together for the good of our society. My Pollyanna dreams still linger…
I hear you. I believe most of the people I am hearing this question from are referring to, “What is your plan to move forward that isn’t self-destructive?” Which is along the lines of your feelings. I think it’s intended to be 2-fold. How will you keep yourself going so we can stay focused on the greater good. I agree, a self-care focus can bleed into selfishness. No time for that.