The most powerful lesson you can learn in running? You are capable of much, much more than you think. ~Amby Burfoot
A quick story: In 1977, a 63-year-old woman named Laura Schultz lifted a car off of her grandson, saving his life. She was a petite woman who had never lifted more than 50 pounds.
She lifted a 2,000 pound car that day.
Years later she was interviewed by a psychologist who was studying acts of so-called “hysterical strength,” like hers. But there was a big problem with the interview: she didn’t want to talk about it.
In fact, even thinking about it made her uncomfortable.
Eventually, she admitted why.
She explained what I can only describe as guilt, remorse, loss, regret. She reasoned that if she was capable of doing something as amazing and powerful as lifting a car off of a child, what else could she have done with her life? What other “impossible” things had she avoided just because she thought they were out of reach?
How much potential had she lost because she simply … never tried?
“If I was able to do this when I didn’t think I could, what does that say about the rest of my life? Have I wasted it?”
That’s a heartbreaking question to ask, let alone answer. But she asked it – and finally admitted to herself that she did indeed have the power to change her life, and to use every last ounce of it.
So, she got a degree in geology and became a professor at a local college – all in her mid-60s.
She stopped letting expectations and preconceived notions dictate the way she lived her life.
Instead of “slowing down” because that was expected of her … she put her foot on the gas.
You know, that story brought tears to my eyes when I first read it. Because at any time, we are all capable of far more than we give ourselves credit for. But believing that – really believing that – is also really scary. Daunting. Weighty.
Believing something is impossible gives some comfort to the loss. “There was no way, anyway,” we can say to ourselves. “This is as we all expected.” There’s relief in the cynicism. It requires no more effort than a snarky comment, a dismissive head nod.
But honoring that little hopeful voice in your heart? The one that wants to dream of possibilities and whispers “Well, I don’t know – maybe we actually can do this thing…”? That, friend, opens you up to both incredible successes and incredible failures – and that is courageous.
And life demands courage.
Because my goodness – what are we doing in this world, if not living? If life is meant to be lived … shouldn’t it be? Shouldn’t we squeeze every last ounce of potential out of every last second?
That’s why I can understand Laura Schultz being paralyzed by guilt – wondering what life could have been like if she had tapped into her car-heaving-She-Woman power decades before she did.
But it’s never the perfect time to do anything. It’s just time. (And today is better than tomorrow.) Whether you realized it decades ago or moments ago, you’ve got the power to do a lot more and change a lot more than you probably think.
Don’t believe me?
Tell me, how many Republican state legislatures are trying to make it harder for you to vote right this very second?
After decades of conceding races in red America, after years of telling ourselves that rural districts and red states are lost causes, after making surrender our default strategy – we’ve calcified ourselves into submission. Breaking out of that mindset is hard. But it’s possible.
I know because I’ve seen it happen, over and over again, as Democrats in red, rural districts lead with heart and grit and refuse to obey in advance.
There was Laura Schaeffer in Ohio, who ran for state house in a red district outside Youngstown. She took an old school bus, painted it blue, and drove it everywhere—to work, to the fair, while canvassing. She emblazoned VOTE LAURA SCHAEFFER in huge white letters on the side. She didn’t let anyone tell her what was impossible – she got creative and got busy.
There was Jess Piper in Missouri, who in 2022 ran for state house in a ruby red district that has never elected a woman. She forced Missouri Republicans to go out and recruit a more moderate Republican to run against her – and then fund that nominee to the tune of $100k. She continues to be a thorn in the Missouri GOP’s side, which is delightful.
On the grassroots side, in Missouri, our 1,250+ monthly Blue Missouri members have become one of the largest political forces in the state. We use what I call a ‘bathtub method’ – we fill the buckets of the nominees who have the least first, then keep filling until we run out. Which means we’re funding exactly the races everyone says are impossible. The reddest districts. The most rural areas. The candidates running on shoestring budgets that feel abandoned and ignored.
We lift them up. We honor that voice in their heart. And we give them the fuel to go on.
And it’s working. In states where we’ve built these grassroots communities, Democrats are contesting more races. Candidates know someone has their back. Recruitment is up.
Not because any one of us is a superhero. But because we stopped listening to the voices telling us it was impossible.
I’ve spent the last seven years – here at Small Deeds, but also at Every State Blue – proving that we’re capable of more than we want to even believe. That we have more strength than we like to admit, we just have to tap into it. Like with Laura Schultz, it’s a little scary to recognize that you have the capacity and power to do so much more; to paraphrase a superhero, with power comes the responsibility to use it.
When you stop clipping your own wings, you open yourself up to being surprised by how high you can fly. When you stop believing everyone who says you can’t and start listening to that little whisper that says you can, when you support the nominees everyone else leaves behind – not because their race is on some spreadsheet of flippable races but because their community is worth fighting for, when you show up in the places and for the races everyone else writes off – things can change.
So please – stop basing your decisions on what’s possible based upon other people’s expectations of what you can do, or upon your own self-doubt. Stop letting the political establishment decide which races are worth fighting for. Stop assuming someone else would be doing the work if it was important.
Be courageous enough to dream the dreams that might break. Give yourself permission to be the full self you can be. The results might surprise you.
Laura Schultz proved it in her 60s. Laura Schaeffer proved it in a red Ohio district. Jess Piper proved it in Missouri. And 1,250+ Missourians are proving it every single month.
Who knows – maybe you, too, can lift a car.
Let’s get to work.
Actions for the Week of November 4, 2025
Friend, things may be heavy – but you can lighten that load by doing something small – a “small deed” – to bring about the world that you want to see. In doing so we tell the world, the universe, our leaders – and most importantly, ourselves – that we will not go quietly into that good night.
I call it Action Therapy.
That’s why in each Tuesday post I share a few “small things” – usually a Small Thing to Read, a Small Event to Attend, and a Small Call to Make or Action to Take. My intention here is to give you actions you can tuck into your week with ease – and know that you’re doing something today to make tomorrow better.
Join me in doing so. It matters.
Side note: if you’re interested in how we at Every State Blue help crowdfund and support underfunded Democratic nominees running in some of the reddest, roughest, toughest places in the country, head over to https://everystateblue.org! We have projects in Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee, and appreciate your support (which you can provide here).
Small Event to Attend: Join Jess Craven, Jiggy Geronimo, and Gabby Seay!
Friends, on Thursday at 6pm central you should join the always-wonderful Jess Craven, who is moderating a training. Featuring Jiggy Geronimo, narrative strategist, and Gabby Seay, movement strategist, this one-hour training offers a framework for slowing down and stopping the consolidation of authoritarianism through noncooperation.
We’ll look at how mass defiance has been used historically to overthrow totalitarian governments, then discuss how we can use it to slow Trump’s authoritarian creep, enforce the outcome of the upcoming midterms, and eventually create a new and better democracy. This framework allows groups and individuals to place themselves and their work inside the larger fight. It’s super informative and encouraging. You won’t want to miss it!
Small Call to Make: (H/T to Rogan’s List for this!) Share Your Story With House Democrats
I can’t overestimate the power of a story.
When I see Democrats sharing data and statistics, my little wonky brain fires up. But when I hear a story? Well, that information will stick with me for a long time – taking the data and distilling it down to its human elements.
THAT is what Democrats need to do more of.
So I was tickled pink to see House Democrats asking for our stories. Please go to their website to share “your personal stories about how Republicans’ cruel policies are impacting you and raising your costs” so they can fight for us. It’s a simple form, and you can choose to make it public (or not). Easy peasy!
Share your story here.
Small Call to Make:
As I said last week, I love the Americans Of Conscience Checklist, and its founder Jennifer Hofmann is the bee’s knees. AOCC has been ongoing since right around the same time I started writing Small Deeds in 2016. I love sharing their work with you.
And today I think we should lend our voices to their effort to call on Congress and ask what is being done to address food insecurity. Trump hosted an opulent Great Gatsby party on the same weekend that tens of millions of Americans sat on pins and needles wondering whether they were going to get SNAP benefits. (They aren’t.)
We need to continue standing up and speaking out. So I want to reprise last week’s call to make – to your senators and representative.
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hello, I’m ______ , reaching out from [ZIP] to express alarm at the devastating impact on food security, healthcare, and more resulting from the continuing government shutdown. Millions of low-income families who rely on aid from SNAP and WIC are at risk of hunger, especially Black women, children, and elders. What is [Sen/Rep NAME] doing to address cuts to SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, and the ACA subsidies essential for affordable health insurance?
Then go to the AoCC website and click the box showing that you’ve taken action. Let’s lend our voices to this effort! Do that here: https://americansofconscience.com/10-24-2025/
Thanks for reading, friend – I’m glad to see you here! You’re making a difference, I promise.
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