Looking for Some Self-Care After the Election? Join a Whistling in the Dark Group!

By Katherine Murphy, LWV of Kittitas County, and Wende Sanderson, LWV of Skagit County

The Kittitas and Skagit County Leagues are co-sponsoring a second round of Cultivating Civic Conversations (CCC) groups beginning November 9. This session is entitled “Whistling in the Dark” and we will be discussing Brad Montague’s book Becoming Better Grownups and selected On Being podcasts. Montague was the creative force behind the Kid President videos. In his book, he reports on his wide-ranging listening tour with the young and old on how he could become a better grownup. The On Being podcasts offer conversations between Krista Tippett and everyone from astrophysicists to the Dalai Lama about what it means to be human. 

We hope the one-hour conversations will help us all navigate the postelection roller coaster, cope with COVID during the holidays, and settle into winter. Each week we will use tips and stories from Montague’s book and the podcast guests to reflect on how we can cultivate greater resilience, develop practices that allow us to constructively tackle new challenges, and get to know others who are also seeking a more grounded foundation. And yes … how to keep joy and whimsy alive, even in difficult times.

Participants in the first series, which focused on The State We’re In: Washington and selected On Being Civil Conversation Project podcasts, said that the groups “help me start and stay with difficult conversations,” “offer a time to be in community,” and “make me think and make me smile.” The groups will meet using Zoom on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. (Pacific Time). Participants can switch between groups as their schedules dictate. 

Feel free to share this invitation with others. To sign up or get more information, email Katherine Murphy, kbmurphy [at] lwvwa.org.