Hey Reader,

I had a conversation the other day with a woman whose brother lives in Denmark.
She told me—and apparently I am the only person I know who didn’t already know this—that it’s completely normal there to leave babies sleeping outside in their strollers.
Unattended.
On the sidewalk.
While you sip a latte inside.

Apparently, it’s not just normal—it’s expected.
That fresh air is good for them. And so is the trust.

It’s so normal that the American woman I spoke with tried to refuse to leave her nephew out there alone while she was babysitting. And his parents said she HAD to. It is simply the way things are done.

Mind. Blown.

And look—I’m sure it’s lovely.
To walk past stroller after stroller, all filled with happy, snoozing babies, on your way to lunch or a meeting or…another row of peacefully snoozing babies.
​

But I could not wrap my head around it.
​Because I don’t know a single woman in this country who would leave a baby unattended anywhere, let alone on a public sidewalk.

I mean, I have a mind that can go from everything-is-fine to someone-will-steal-that-baby-while-you’re-looking-for-the-creamer in about two seconds.

Is it paranoia? Perhaps. But I grew up solidly in the 80s, when hearing about mall kidnappings was at an all-time high.

And while I’m not thinking of leaving the country to flee to Denmark (although something tells me I might love it there), I am thinking about what it means to live in a place where that kind of trust—that kind of ease—feels almost unimaginable. To live in a place where the daily news doesn’t get me to the point of spiraling.

When that does happen (as it occasionally does), I try to look to people like my friend, Jennifer Bendery.
​To people who know exactly what’s going on but don’t catastrophize.
Who stay grounded, calm, informed, and clear-eyed.

Jennifer is a senior politics reporter at The Huffington Post, though I met her back when we both were navigating the publishing world in San Francisco, and she joined me on Roar to talk about what’s actually happening in this country—what’s quietly shifting, what we should be paying attention to, and how to hold the big picture without losing our grip on our sanity.

She doesn’t panic.
She doesn’t shout.
She’s just…steady. Smart. Exactly who I want in my ears right now.

And I thought, you might want her in yours too. 🎧 [Listen to our conversation here.]

Talk soon,
Danielle

P.S. If you’ve ever quietly made a plan B (or C or D), that doesn’t make you cynical. It makes you prepared. And if your plan is for Denmark, get ready to step around a lot of sleeping babies.

P.P.S. If someone forwarded this to you and you’re thinking “who is this woman?”—hi, I’m Danielle. I host Roar. I write things. I care a lot. You can subscribe [right here].