Packing for the New Year

Jan 04, 2026

Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of our 50501 CO newsletter!

In this newsletter, we discuss what we’re bringing into 2026. In addition, you’ll find information on upcoming activities from the 50501 calendar, actions you can take outside of protesting, and also find out about additional ways to connect with us.

See you on the streets! ✊✊✊

Actions and Activities

(The below list contains details on all actions this week and next week which have been submitted to our 50501 CO calendar; click the link above for more details and the full calendar)

Denver

1/14: 9:00am - 1:00pm - De-ICE: 2026 Legislative Session Opening (Colorado State Capitol West Steps)

Fort Collins

1/6: 12:00 - 5:00pm - Remember Jan. 6th! (Corners of Mulberry & College (noon-2:00) and Drake & College (3:00-5:00))

Packing for the New Year

I’m not doing resolutions.

No speeches. No reinvention. No “new me” monologue delivered to an empty room while I hold a coffee like it’s a microphone.

But I do like the idea of treating the new year like a destination. Not a magical reset. Just a place you’re headed, whether you feel ready or not. And if you’re going somewhere, you might as well pack on purpose.

So here’s a simple exercise for January: a quick packing list. What you bring. What you leave behind. Not because you’re trying to become a different person overnight, but because dragging the wrong stuff into a new year is how you start exhausted.

What to pack

1) A routine you can keep on a bad week.
Not aspirational. Actual. The kind of thing you can do when you’re tired and annoyed and everything feels too loud. A short walk. Real meals. A bedtime you protect more often than not. If it only works on your best day, it’s not a routine. It’s a fantasy.

2) One reliable place to get information.
Not ten. Not an endless scroll. One or two sources you trust enough to return to, plus the discipline to ignore the junk designed to spike your cortisol. Being informed is not the same as being constantly activated.

3) A “pause” before you share anything.
This is less about being polite and more about not doing free labor for chaos. Read past the headline. Check the date. Look for a primary source. If you can’t summarize it in two sentences, you probably shouldn’t broadcast it.

4) A short list of people you can actually talk to.
Not “followers” or people you perform for. People you can text when you’re spiraling or when you’re fired up and need to aim that energy somewhere useful. The world gets weirder when you try to process it alone.

5) One local connection.
Something that exists in your city, not just on your screen. A library event. A community meeting. A mutual aid group. A neighborhood clean-up. A place where you are reminded that reality still has faces and names and small decisions that matter.

6) A brain first-aid kit.
When the news hits hard, you will default to whatever is easiest. Pack better defaults. A playlist. A rule like “no doomscrolling in bed.” A saved note that says, “Drink water, eat something, then decide what’s urgent.” Basic, yes. Effective, also yes.

7) One steady contribution.
Monthly donation, even small. A standing offer to drive someone. Volunteering once a month. Helping set up chairs. The work that keeps things running is rarely glamorous, which is exactly why it matters.

What to leave at home

1) The belief that outrage equals impact.
Feeling furious is not the same as being effective. If the only thing a habit produces is more stress, it’s not activism. It’s a loop.

2) Internet arguments that are designed as traps.
Some conversations exist only to exhaust you and entertain everyone watching. You’re allowed to walk away without writing a closing statement.

3) Guilt that never turns into action.
Useful guilt points you toward a next step. Chronic guilt just drains you and makes you easier to push around. Drop it. Replace it with one doable commitment.

4) The all-or-nothing mindset.
If you miss a day, you’ve failed. If you can’t do it perfectly, why bother. That’s how people quit. The better skill is returning. Returning is the entire game.

5) The habit of treating your attention like it’s free.
It isn’t. Your attention is a limited resource and plenty of people want to burn it for their benefit. Spend it like you mean it.

That’s the whole idea. No resolutions. No dramatic transformation. Just packing lighter and smarter for wherever this year takes us.

The destination isn’t guaranteed to be easy. But you can at least stop bringing the stuff that makes it harder.

Non-Protest Actions Bingo

The below bingo card contains a list of actions you can take (other than protesting) to help further the cause. If you get a bingo, tag us on social media to let us know!