Naomi, Sage – Author at Plaster & Disaster

Wednesday was the first time that Plaster & Disaster missed a post; the blog didn’t update according to our planned schedule. Sage had prepared an engaging and incisive discussion of her washing machine repair journey (and flooding basement), but we texted late in the evening on Tuesday and decided to hold it. It didn’t seem appropriate.

You can probably guess our views based on a few of our past posts (here and here) or maybe the fact that we live in Massachusetts and work in social justice nonprofits.

As DIY bloggers, our natural hubris leads us to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the world is awaiting our commentary on the election. And so here it is — and we’re even going to get through it without the phrases “disbelief,” “deeply divided country,” “the path forward,” “time to heal,” or “whichever side of this you were on.” You also probably don’t need to watch us process through the why and how. We’re sure you have ideas of your own (which we’d love to hear about in the comments).

Instead, we wanted to share with you a few things that we think will be particularly important in the coming years:

Paying attention. This isn’t the time to throw up your hands or put your head down and focus on work or redecorating your bedroom. Do those things, for sure, but this is a time to stay on top of the news and the decisions that are being made so that we can be informed and influence what we can.
Standing up for each other. Depending on who you are, the ramifications of this election may impact you personally more or less. But have no doubt that there are many people for whom the coming political regime will have lasting, hurtful consequences. It is our responsibility to be there for one another and speak up when we see injustices even if we aren’t personally effected.
Perspective. The broad sweep of history remains what it is – one where there has been a rising quality of life, expanding rights, extensions of justice, and constraints on unilateral power. We sure are not there yet. Blips have and will continue to happen. But that is the trend.
Philanthropy. The U.S. is unique in that it relies very heavily on a nonprofit sector to provide part of the social safety net – and Americans give more to charity than citizens of other nations. No constellation of nonprofits can replace the immense value that government services can and should provide, but it does mean that we have a vast infrastructure of institutions who can help. If you are feeling worried about where those who need it will be able to turn, consider making or increasing your charitable donations.
Getting involved. Speaking of nonprofits, if you’ve always thought to yourself that you would like to be more involved with making the world a better place, this may be a good catalyst to get involved. Volunteer, advocate, etc.!
Tiny bloggers. That tiny (doll)home isn’t going to renovate itself!

Those are just a few thoughts we have. What do you think? We would love to hear how you’re feeling and what you plan to do next to ensure that the moral arc of the universe continues to bend towards justice.

Well, we’ve hinted at it subtly and we’ve hinted at it not-so-subtly, but now we can finally say it: WE’RE GOING TO BE ON TELEVISION!

That’s right, in less than a week, we will be on Flea Market Flip, an actual television show that actual people watch. Needless to say, we’re bitterly regretting the life decisions that led us to this point… and we’re also ridiculously excited and proud. It is a pretty tumultuous time for us, actually.

The show will be airing on Sunday, November 13th, at 8 p.m. EST on Great American Country. (We’re not sure exactly why it is airing there first and not on HGTV, but we expect it will be on HGTV down the line, also. We’ll let you know when it is!)

It’s been well over a year since we first auditioned for this. At first it was hard keeping it a secret, but by now the duplicity has became second nature, so we won’t give away any spoilers before it airs. Let’s just say that it was a blast – not least of all because we had awesome competitors, Victoria and Michael.