Good News, Bad News

Attending a St. Anthony’s advocacy meeting for the first means being bombarded by acronyms: SSI, IHSS, Calworks. It means facing some disheartening news: increased muni prices for seniors and the disabled, increased co-pays for medi-cal, and grant reductions proposed in the Senate budget hearing. The list could go on.

But an advocacy meeting also means taking all the bad news while still seeing the good news. Here’s some good news: all the letters and emails opposing the IHSS (in-home senior service) cuts were presented in the Senate budget hearing. Here’s some more: St. Anthony guests are signing a petition opposing the increased muni fares and other guests may potentially find part-time work as 2010 census employees. Good news does not reduce bad news, but understanding that it’s not all bad news can help from becoming completely overwhelmed at all the work ahead. But good news does not mean relaxing, it means plowing ahead so that there’s more good news.