Tag: 5-things-i-did

Letter #2 to Stephen

Lucy Moore

Dear Mr. Miller:

It’s me again. Lucy.

June picnic on the White House lawn. Are you having fun yet?

The more I get to know you, the more intriguing you are. A real man of mystery, which ordinarily I find very attractive, but in your case… not so much. My first question is why you hide in the shadows. We all know that you are the one pulling the strings, making that witless, orange puppet sign one evil Executive Order after another. Why not step out from behind that curtain, take your bows as puppet-master and let us all marvel at your sleazy cleverness?  Ah, but maybe you are self-conscious? I’m not the only one who thinks you have an uncanny resemblance to the devil. Putting the fear of Satan in people wherever you go might have given you some kind of complex and driven you to the Dark Side. I wish I could help, but all I can think of is a lot of therapy (maybe electroshock), or extensive cosmetic surgery, or a one-way ticket to Transylvania. (Maybe that’s insensitive of me – stereotyping Transylvania, which I understand is a beautiful region of Romania with no more werewolves and vampires than anywhere else.)

But I digress! The purpose of my letter, as always, is to report my works of resistance this week.

  • I spent the afternoon with Senator Cory Booker. He is an amazing person, so full of humanity, compassion, optimism, and energy. I have always admired him, and it was thrilling to hear him speak. I have been suffering from anxiety about the state of the country, but I left the event lighter and more hopeful. His message was that even the smallest action can have a big impact. Don’t be paralyzed because you can’t fix it all, just do some small thing today, and another thing tomorrow, and together we can overcome. You’ve probably met Senator Booker. Weren’t you impressed…or maybe to be in the presence of that much goodness was a bit much.
  • I took an online training in how to support the immigrant community especially when confronted by ICE or other law enforcement. It was excellent, all about the rights of citizens and non-citizens, how to act in the presence of an arrest, what to say and do. At one point the trainer asked the audience of 1,400+ from all over the country what aspect of the organizing process they were attracted to – action, recruitment, training, reflection. Although I am a reflective person and as a mediator help people reflect on peaceful options to a conflict, I surprised myself by immediately hitting the “action” button. Next time you peek through that hole in your curtain you might see me out there raising hell.
  • I spent the evening with a friend whose mental health is fragile. She is on the edge because of the impact your puppet is having on her friends and relatives who are dependent on the VA and Medicaid. Her anger at you and your pals is in danger of consuming her and is already affecting her physical health. I tried to support her, let her vent, and give her some hope. It wasn’t easy, and when I came home, I took a few plates out of my chipped plate collection and smashed them on the patio. I remember muttering “take that, Mr. Miller.” It is hard to stay sane and healthy these days.
  •  I gave money to a small nonprofit that asks to remain anonymous for fear that you will put them in your whack-a-mole sites. It makes me very sad to see good people who are doing good things living in fear, hiding in the shadows. I can see why you hide in the shadows. We’ve already noted your unfortunate face and the evil you are doing. But these people should be proud and receiving accolades for their work, not cowering hoping they won’t be noticed.
  • And finally, I am very pleased to add my “Letters to Mr. Miller” to my list of 5-things-I-did this week. You can’t imagine the pleasure they give my many followers. And bringing a smile, a chuckle to someone who may be feeling powerless and abused by you, makes me proud.

OK, that’s a pretty good list, huh? Hope you’re impressed. It would mean so much to hear from you. I would treasure a letter and would treat it with great disrespect.

Have a nice day!

Sincerely

Lucy

 Read More

The European Flush

Lucy Moore
Stylish in Greece

I just returned from three weeks in Europe. There were dozens of highlights as you can imagine, but only one obsession, and that was the toilet – maybe not surprising, given its necessity and the intimate relationship we have with that receptacle. I was never disappointed in the clean and functional European offering and never resented occasionally paying a Euro or so for a worry-free experience. But my obsession was for the flushing mechanism: The Push Button Flush. Or, I should say the push buttons, for there were always two buttons, one larger, one smaller, indicating the amount of work you were asking the flush to handle.

Tidy in the Netherlands

Not only did the variety and aesthetics of buttons in Germany, Netherlands, Kosovo and Greece make me smile, but their efficiency was impressive. The flush was powerful, speedy and seemed to use less water than the swirling, meandering flush of many American models, including ours. In the privacy of the stall, I snapped photos of different styles, hoping my fellow flushers didn’t think I had an obsession of a different sort. Ugh.

I snap a quickie in Germany

My son, whom we were visiting, agreed that the push button system was superior, but as a long term renter, he pointed out that maintenance requires opening up the wall to get at the plumbing. No lifting the tank lid and jiggling that bulb-thingy.

Creative in Kosovo

I found that I was so “button-aware” that I saw them everywhere. Below are lighting fixtures in a hotel restaurant in Greece. Can you blame me for reaching toward them for just a quick press?

It was a wonderful trip that included seeing family, visiting museums, cathedrals, markets, eating too much with no regrets, swimming in the Aegean Sea, and shutting off all political news from the US. Now that we’re back, it’s a blow to learn that the deterioration is picking up speed. Musk has abandoned DOGE, but I’m not abandoning my “5 things I did” project. I will continue to do at least 5 good things each week and spread the word, and maybe I will find a new recipient for my weekly postcards. As for Musk, we’re through. I’m pushing the BIG button and whoosh he’s gone… to the sewer where he belongs.

An odd instruction….but I’m making an exception

 Read More

Letter to Elon — have you abandoned us?!

Lucy Moore

May 5, 2025

Dear Elon –

What’s this I hear? You’ve told all those federal employees to stop writing the 5-things-I-did email to you every week? Well, where does that leave me and my jolly band of do-gooder postcard writers? There are hundreds of us ordinary citizens around the country, sending you our weekly cards and letters with the 5 things we each did. What am I to tell them? That our carefully crafted messages to you will be tossed in the trash, that you care more about cars than you do about us? Or – heaven forbid – have we let you down? If we have, I ask you, what more can we do?! We are supporting food depots, human rights organizations, immigrant support groups, candidates running to save democracy; we are protesting, making signs that are very clever, spreading the word and educating people; we are taking care of our neighbors and we are making our communities stronger.

So, Elon, please let us know how you would like us to proceed. We would prefer to keep doing our 5 things each week – some of us are actually addicted and might have a hard time giving it up — but if you want us to stop just let me know. In the meantime, we will just keep chugging along. 

And here are my 5-things from last week — 4 actually, but they are good ones:

  • In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I sent a letter of support to Lalo Alcaraz, the cartoonist of La Cucaracha comic strip. I enjoy it every morning with my coffee. La Cucaracha means cockroach and often there are characters that remind me of you. You should check it out.
  • I wrote a thank you letter – it’s really easy and very satisfying, you should try it. I wanted Harvard University to know how pleased I am by their refusal to cooperate with some crazy extortionists that are threatening them with the loss of billions of dollars. Really, these people that are attacking universities are too much!  They will bring down our democracy! It seems as if your power is unlimited, so if you see any of them in the halls, please handcuff them and send them straight to El Salvador.  
  • I organized a community-wide yard sale. Fifteen households participated, isn’t that great? We had fun, recycled probably a ton of used goods, which is good for the environment and the soul. I guess it’s not good for tycoons of industry who would like us to buy new stuff and toss the old in the landfill. Just imagining those dumps full of perfectly good stuff turns my stomach…although a landfill of Tesla trucks might be a pretty sight, all that glistening tin. But, Elon, think of the recycling possibilities – millions of beautiful cookie sheets.  
  • I met with our 5-things-I-did group here in town for a rousing session. We decided to get trained as” legal observers,” people who know the constitution and local laws and ordinances and can make sure that everyone at rallies, protests, and other gatherings is safe from abuse and unwarranted arrests. Legal observers can serve as witnesses, like a friend who saw some men in masks and camo stop a car, take the driver out and kidnap him, leaving his shocked wife and children in the car. My friend recorded it all on her cell phone and sent it to a local human rights organization. The men tried to stop her and shouted it was illegal to record, but she knew it was her right and she kept on doing it. Isn’t that courageous? I want to be ready to do the same thing.

OK, Elon, that’s it for now. Please let me know if you want me to stop doing my five things each week. If I don’t hear from you, we’re carrying on!

Have a nice Cinco de Mayo!

Lucy

such beautiful cookie sheets….
 Read More

Letter to Elon on Friendship and Fly Swatters

Lucy Moore

April 14, 2025

I bought a flyswatter. You’ll see why.

Dear Elon –

I have friends who think I’m crazy to be writing to you. Some say “You should be more careful. You might end up in jail!” I mean, really! You would never lock up a law-aiding citizen just for exercising free speech, would you? I tell them that could never happen, and they go away muttering “she’s lost it.” Do you have friends who think you’re crazy? Or maybe the first question should be “Do you have friends?” I’ve never seen a photo of you with pals, just playing pickle ball, or sitting down around a bowl of kale chips and hummus, or taking a nature walk together through a botanical garden.

This week I focused my 5-things on friendships – old, new and potential. We need each other in these stressful times, but if we are putting all our energy into protests, letters to the editor, calls to congress, keeping up with the latest news, we can find ourselves isolated and exhausted, right? So here are my 5 things from last week, and I must say, I feel very refreshed and ready to resist with new zeal.

  1. I met with a group of mediator friends to compare notes on how to make peace when people are so divided and whether we should all hang up our mediator hats, and take to the streets. It was a great conversation. I think you would have been very interested in how passionate we were. Wish you could have been a fly on the wall.
  2. I bought a new fly swatter – oops, don’t get me wrong. This has no connection to your being a fly on the wall. Just an unfortunate juxtaposition. Fly season is here and I need to be prepared to smash those pesky little things that seem to be everywhere, buzzing nonsense and spreading evil germs.
  3. I met on zoom with a young woman that I am going to mentor in mediation. I have mentored many students and those looking to change careers and each conversation leaves me full of new ideas and optimism about the future of the profession. Mentoring is really a two-way proposition, don’t you agree? Even we so-called experts have much to learn, if we can just listen.
  4. I am not technically savvy, but I tried to tidy up my Facebook page and my 5-things-i-did group page. I have a lot of friends, some of them I actually know, and many of them are enjoying my letters and postcards to you. They send me photos of what they write you, so I know you are getting more and more mail from the 5-things movement, and that makes me so happy. I wonder where you are keeping them all, not in a circular file, I hope.
  5. I took a beautiful walk with my husband up a creek bed near our house. There were huge Ponderosas, fantastic rock formations, and a cloudless, bright blue sky. I always love to see the generations of trees – the old majestic ones high above the rest, the middle-aged ones coming on strong, the teenagers bursting with hope and energy, and the toddlers, sprouting needles, new and shiny.  We met others enjoying the day, some with walking sticks, some with kids, some with dogs, some with all three. We were all friends for that moment in time and space.

Excuse my poetic detour!  I know you want a short, concise report of the five things I did, but some weeks it’s more complicated, more human… and more important.

Next week, I’ll be back to business, I promise!

Have a nice day,

Lucy

And my companion postcard:

 Read More

Toothpaste and Optimism

Lucy Moore

I came home yesterday to find this four-pack of toothpaste on the kitchen table, alongside the padded envelope it came in. My husband explained that local stores didn’t carry this particular one that he likes and so he ordered it online, and this is how it came, in a four-pack. These are not small tubes.

“That is the most optimistic thing I’ve seen in a long time,” I declared.

“You mean like it assumes that I’ll live that long?” He asked, adding “or that if I do, I’ll still have teeth by then?”

“Yes, and that the country will last that long, and the planet, for that matter, and that even if we somehow hang on, we’ll be thinking about toothpaste.”

He was unmoved, and went to squirrel away his supply in the bathroom closet.

I realized how pessimistic I am. It is there under layers of denial, fear, anger and numbness. It is there under a spunky veneer of carrying on and doing normal things, like planting tulip bulbs for seasons to come, freezing leftover green chile stew for next winter, mentoring a young person for a bright future, renewing a library card, having coffee with a friend, going to a grandchild’s graduation from high school. These are things I never questioned. They are what we do in normal times when we assume the future, although unknown, will be more or less what we’ve experienced to date. But now, I am aware that in each of these things there is fragility and uncertainty. I am wistful, anticipating such political, economic and climatic upheaval that the ordinary will be threatened and may not survive. I’m filled with nostalgia for what I still have but may lose in the months and years to come.

And, so I celebrate my husband and his more-than-a-lifetime supply of toothpaste. Let’s go for it. Along with my premature nostalgia and forecasts of doom, let’s imagine that yes, those tulips will come up in a sunny, peaceful community; and yes, we will thaw out that stew and remember a springtime of fear that is now past; and yes, my young mentee will be marching ahead, boldly on a career path that will be good for her and for all of us; and yes, the doors of the library will still open at 9 and close at 6; and yes, I will have coffee with a friend who chose not to move to Canada; and yes, that grandchild will be finding herself, just as I did, with a long road of opportunity and challenge ahead.  

The future is unknown, but let’s give optimism a chance.

 Read More

Elon meets Mr. Rogers and Chef Andrés

Lucy Moore

March 30, 2025

Dear Elon –

It has been a wild week! So many great opportunities to do good. It seems as if they are multiplying exponentially! And, who do we have to thank for this abundance of places to put our energy, our money and our enthusiasm? You! I know I speak for many when I say you have inspired us to be dynamos of good work. Just seeing your picture in the paper, or a clip on TV, sends me running to my checkbook or to speed dial congress.  

But before I list my 5 things for the week, I have a suggestion. It’s about your speech impediment. You must be self-conscious about your starts and stops and general inarticulate way of expressing yourself. It is critical that all who hear you really understand what you are saying. Dare I say, our lives depend on it! A friend has benefited by joining Toastmasters. I’m sure there’s one near you, and I think you would enjoy working on your speech problems in a group of sympathetic companions. And when I saw their 4 principles — integrity, respect, service, and excellence — on their website, I knew it was just where you belonged.

I hope I haven’t offended you. I know your ego is a little fragile, but after these weeks of correspondence surely we can be honest with each other. I would be thrilled to hear any suggestions you have for me.

Now – sorry to make you wait! – here are the “5 things I did last week.”

  1. Banned books: I bought three of my favorites to send to send to a library in another state, since my state doesn’t ban books. The authors are J.D. Salinger, Toni Morrison, and Roald Dahl. Can you believe that “James and the Giant Peach” is a banned book? Could it be some strange fear of fruit?
  2. World Central Kitchen: When I heard about that terrible earthquake in Myanmar, I immediately thought of World Central Kitchen. Chef José Andrés and his crew show up all over the world when there is a disaster, and sure enough they are already there feeding people. I donated and bought a few supplies for them, especially now that the government seems to be out of the “helping others business.” Such a foolish decision, don’t you agree?
  3. AFSA: And since I had my checkbook out, I wrote a check to the American Foreign Service Association, the group that is fighting for our foreign service workers – USAID and others – who do so much throughout the world, feeding starving children, vaccinating, responding to natural disasters, supporting local health and social service efforts, helping preserve the environment, and generally being good neighbors. Excuse the digression, but speaking of good neighbors, I’m a big Mr. Rogers fan. Maybe growing up in South Africa you didn’t see his TV show. He taught kids how to be kind, generous, helpful adults. A shame you missed him.
  4. Call congress:  I use (202) 225-3121 for the House and (202) 224-3121 for the Senate. I’m thinking there are so many calls coming in that they probably need to hire more operators….maybe some of the fired federal employees could get jobs there. I like to think all of us callers are invigorating the job market.
  5. “5-things-I-did” gathering. Fifteen of us got together to write postcards, and share ideas for things to do. It was very fun. Snacks were plentiful. Wine flowed. Wished you could have been there.

OK, I’ve taken enough of your time. You have really changed my life, Elon. I feel empowered, as they say. I think I could lead a revolution!

Have a nice day,

Lucy

Happy World Central Kitchen recipient
 Read More

Letter to Elon #5

Lucy Moore

March 25, 2025

Dear Elon

Such exciting news! I know you will be very pleased – and impressed, I hope. Last night was the first meeting of the “5-things-i-did” group. My friends teased me, saying that you were pulling up in front of the house in your Tesla, that you were actually going to join us. I was pretty sure it couldn’t be true, but I also couldn’t help but glance out the window just in case. I know how busy you are, but maybe you’ll take a swing through some western states and we can meet. I have some important messages from folks in the southwest that I’d love to pass on to you.

Anyway, back to the gathering last night. Fifteen like-minded people came to write postcards and talk about all the great “5-things” they did last week. Just think, 5 things x 15  people = 75 things! And that’s just in one week from one little group out here in the sticks. I know there are other “5-things-i-did” groups springing up all over. You better get a bigger inbox for the avalanche of postcards you’ll be getting.

I shared all the things I’ve done since you inspired me, and everyone added to the list. We now have dozens of places to put our money, our energy and our support to be sure that we can hang onto our democracy. We’ll be meeting again in a month to talk about more things we can do. I would love to put one of my postcards on a billboard on the interstate, giving you credit for the idea of course. Wouldn’t that be fabulous? You’re probably sick of hearing it by now, but I am forever grateful for your genius idea to report five things we did each week.

And before I go, please take care of yourself. The recent pictures of you look a little pasty. I think I see bags under the eyes, and you don’t seem to be combing your hair in the morning. These can be serious signs of stress, depression and bad diet. Be sure to eat healthy. I’ve got a good tofu recipe I’ll pass on.

Have a nice day!

Lucy

 Read More

Letter to Elon #4

Lucy Moore

March 20, 2025

Dear Elon –

I’m getting rather fond of our correspondence, albeit rather one-sided. I wonder if you are seeing my letters. I mustn’t expect too much from someone as busy as you are. Every day in the paper I see where you have been doing something newsworthy. I wonder how you can be in so many places at once. I’m glad you’re not wearing your little son on your shoulders anymore – it could be quite dangerous for him with you darting in and out of doorways at such a rapid pace. Not to criticize your parenting, but those pictures really did disturb me. One bang to the forehead and you could lose a progeny, although I understand you have many more so maybe that’s not a worry for you.

(more…) Read More

Elon Update

Lucy Moore

Hello Blog Friends —

I have been busy this month and I wanted to check in before my regular first of the month posting. Below are my weekly letters to Elon. I’ve gotten quite inspired, thanks to his actions, and am raising hell in my small way. Below are letters #2 and #3, also posted on Facebook and Bluesky.

Letter #2

Friday, March 7, 2025

Hi Elon –

It’s me again, Lucy. Before I list the five things I did this week, I just want to thank you again for the great idea. I never would have thought of it – documenting the good work that we do each week. It gives me much pleasure and I have heard from others that they are doing the same thing. You’ll be hearing from them, too, I’m sure. So, you see, you really started a movement!

  1. I wrote 40 postcards to voters in Wisconsin urging them to vote for Judge Susan Crawford. She is a wonderful candidate. You should get to know her.
  2. I contributed to VoteVets. It’s amazing how many groups there are doing terrific work. And they have T-shirts and stickers you might want to check out….well, maybe not the one that says “Fire Elon.” I know how sensitive you are.
  3. I sent a letter of apology to the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, DC. I’m sure you agree that President Zelensky was treated very disrespectfully. Do you have their address? It’s President Volodymyr Zelenski, Embassy of Ukraine, 3350 M Street NW.
  4. I was so embarrassed by the rude and disrespectful behavior of our leadership in the oval office, that I sent a critical letter to our president telling him so. I’m sure you’ll want to do the same. Or, better yet, you could just mention to him next time you see him how upset I am. I would appreciate that.
  5. And, I know you’ll be pleased with this last one. I went public with your “I Did 5 Things” concept. There are now people on Facebook and Bluesky signing up, embracing the idea, and spreading the word. You should be so proud!

OK, that’s it for this week. Again, thank you so much for your inspiration. I’ll be following you closely to see if there are other bits of genius I can act on.

Have a nice day!

Lucy

And letter# 3:

(more…) Read More