Help getting by during a long year

If you went into the first full week of January 2026 wondering:

• Where you were going to find the extra money to pay for your healthcare premiums now that the GOP’s cuts on federal subsidies were going into affect for the new year;
• Where you were going to make cuts in your household budget given that the cost of groceries keeps inching upward alongside your utility bills;
• If your kids were ever going to be able to afford their own home when the time came for them to eventually be out on their own;
• How you would be able afford the care your elderly parents need while at the same time finding ways to pay for the added costs of childcare now that President Donald Trump seems intent on stripping away federal money for childcare from California;
  •If the worst of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement atrocities are over now that agents have been recorded killing an American woman in Minneapolis as she was attempting to get away from armed agents as they approached her;
• Which country the United States would bomb next after having invaded and kidnapped Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and family over the weekend, I have no immediate remedies for you. Voting for your next round of elected leaders is still months away, though your ability to call and voice your opinion for now is still something you can do at this moment.
  
• In the meantime I might suggest finding your people. If you are feeling helpless, powerless and uncertain as to what can be done for others—if not for yourself—consider being of service. Volunteer. Do something for your family or your neighbors. Your community. Shopping errands, or trash picking. Beach or bay cleanups.
  
• If you need structure municipalities might be starting point. The city of National City website ( https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/nationalca/transferjobs? ) lists volunteer opportunities for those who may want to help their library. In Chula Vista volunteer assignments in various departments, from animal care to public works, might be found (https://www.chulavistaca.gov/departments/human-resources/about-us/volunteers).
  
• Churches and civic groups may offer other something less formal. Finding a group of like-minded people may go a long way in getting through what is shaping up to be a very long year.