I’ve never really identified as disabled, until a year or so ago.  I’ve had fibromyalgia since I was 32.  Now, I’m 67.  I have had to turn down a number of opportunities thru the years due to chronic pain, but overall, I’ve lived a fairly “normal life”.  I consoled myself how much worse it could be. I still work PT as a personal assistant, specializing now (due to increasing foot pain) in deskwork – Daily Money Management (www.dailymoneymanager.net)

I am marching virtually on Saturday since I am opposed to Donald Trump ideologically and as an individual.  He is a frightening, mentally unstable narcissist, who has conned so many people. I am concerned about our economy, the possibility of civil war and more violence, and international crises created by a president and advisers who like Trump, have no experience governing, yet think they know everything because of huge egos.  I wish we could all get along and work together, but there is little evidence of that.  The next four years are going to be full of uncertainty.

I was a family caregiver for six years and became interested in senior services.  The costs of aging are staggering, and I was already anxious about this journey since I’m an “elder orphan”.  Since Trump won the election, I have been increasingly anxious about aging.  My blood pressure is high and I’ve been feeling discouraged and depressed. I am trying to take one day at a time, and stay on track with my life. The 70-million of us Baby Boomers are going to overwhelm a broken system of delivering services to seniors.  And how are we going to pay for it?  Despite Trumps’ lies, healthcare and most everything else will be for the wealthy, and the rest of us, YOYO – “you’re on your own”.  And they want to “reform” Social Security, Medicare and Medi-Caid?  The values of Trump’s Tea Party allies in Congress are appalling, as is their rise to power.

I can’t spend every day on social media upset about the latest horrifying news.  Nor can I devote time for phone calls to legislators every time an outrageous new proposal goes to Congress.  I must take care of myself first, and I feel helpless to resist this “fresh hell”.