War and (Keeping Your) Peace

The escalation of the U.S.–Israel war against Iran has made for a heavy and chaotic news cycle. Between breaking updates, speculation, and viral social media posts, it can be hard to know what’s real—and even harder to keep your sanity while trying to stay informed. In this week’s episode of A Couple Thinks, we talk about how to protect your peace without checking out completely. Aaron opens with a Vivian Green quote that captures the challenge of this moment: “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” We can’t pause our lives until things calm down. But we also don’t have to let the nonstop stream of information overwhelm us. We talk about practical ways we’re managing the news cycle right now, including: * Pausing before reacting to sensational social media posts * Relying on reputable news sources instead of viral clips * Turning off constant news notifications * Limiting how often we check the news We also discuss the balance between staying informed and taking action, including contacting elected officials, participating in protests, and preparing for upcoming elections. Resources for taking action: * 5calls.org (scripts for calling your electeds) * Postcards to Voters (addresses and scripts for sending postcards) * Indivisible (protests and local actions) * Vote411.org (voting resources) * League of Women Voters (find your local chapter to help register voters) And as always, we end the episode with our Joyful Moments—this week featuring homemade hamantaschen for Purim, spring flowers blooming around Berkeley, and the welcome return of longer evening walks. Because even in difficult times, finding moments of joy is part of how we keep going. 🎧 Listen to the full episode wherever you find your podcasts (or here on Substack!) Get full access to A Couple Thinks at acouplethinks.substack.com/subscribe