Why Emailing Congress Is Easier Than Deciding What to Make for Dinner
A Relatable Guide to Advocacy, Domestic Chaos, and Why Leftovers Are Out to Get Us
Some people think contacting Congress is intimidating.
Those people have clearly never tried to figure out what to make for dinner in a household full of humans who all have opinions but no actual suggestions.
Let’s be honest:
Emailing Congress takes about 60 seconds.
Dinner takes your entire will to live.
If you can survive the nightly dinner drama, you can absolutely contact your lawmakers.
Here’s why.
Reason #1: Congress Doesn’t Ask, “What Are You In the Mood For?”
A dinner conversation goes like this:
“Hey, what do you want for dinner?”
“I don’t know.”
“Okay, what don’t you want?”
“Not that.”
Congratulations — you have learned nothing.
Meanwhile, emailing Congress is blissfully simple:
You: “Hi, I’d like you to support the Caring for Survivors Act.”
Congress: Seen.
That alone makes advocacy easier than feeding your family.
Reason #2: Congress Doesn’t Change Its Mind Every Five Minutes
Dinner planning:
Child: “I want spaghetti.”
You: starts boiling water
Child: “Actually I hate spaghetti.”
You: considers escape
Congress, on the other hand, does not suddenly announce mid-email:
“Actually, we don’t care about DIC parity anymore. We’re in the mood for infrastructure tonight.”
Nope.
Congress remains a static, predictable mountain of bureaucracy.
Dinner?
Dinner is emotional roulette.
Reason #3: Lawmakers Do Not Require You to Be a Chef, Therapist, and Psychic Simultaneously
Dinner requires:
Guessing preferences
Avoiding allergens
Negotiating like a world leader
Timing everything perfectly
Pretending not to resent the chicken you’ve cooked 42 times this month
Emailing Congress requires:
Typing
Breathing
Pressing send
One of these activities drains your soul.
The other is advocacy.
Reason #4: Congress Never Says “I Don’t Want That But I Don’t Know What I DO Want.”
Dinner, every night:
“I don’t want pizza.”
“Okay, what do you want?”
“…Not pizza.”
What are you supposed to do with that information? Manifest clarity?
Lawmakers, however, will take whatever issue you present and put it in one of two piles:
“We’re tracking that.”
“We’ll keep this in mind.”
Both piles may be useless, but at least they’re consistent.
Reason #5: Congress Doesn’t Judge You for Repeating Yourself
Dinner repetition:
“Didn’t we just have tacos?”
“That again?”
“Why do we eat chicken every night?”
“I’m tired of leftovers.”
Congress repetition:
“I’m writing again to request your support for HR 0000.”
“We appreciate your continued interest in this issue.”
Translation:
No judgment.
No complaints.
No sighs.
They barely remember the first email anyway.
Reason #6: Leftovers Cause More Stress Than Legislative Advocacy Ever Will
Leftovers have power.
You open the fridge and suddenly feel responsibility, guilt, and mild shame for the meals you abandoned three days ago.
Congress has no such emotional leverage.
When you send an advocacy message, no one replies:
“We saw your previous email sitting sadly in our inbox. How dare you send a new one.”
Leftovers: 1
Congress: 0
Reason #7: Dinner Must Be Solved Tonight. Congress Can Be Nudged Anytime.
Dinner is urgent.
Immediate.
Non-negotiable.
If you don’t come up with something, chaos ensues.
Congress?
They operate on a timeline best described as “glacial indecision sprinkled with procedural naps.”
Your email doesn’t need to be perfect.
It doesn’t need to be long.
And it definitely doesn’t need to be soufflé-level fancy.
Although I do suggest checking spelling, facts/figures, and grammar (and make sure it is addressed to the correct person)
Just send it.
Their clock doesn’t even start ticking until about the fourth message anyway.
The Real Point: If You Can Make Dinner Happen, You Can Absolutely Advocate
Here’s the twist ending to all this humor:
Dinner requires daily endurance, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution.
Advocacy requires one email and a follow-up.
So if you’ve been hesitant to contact your lawmakers:
If you’ve survived a PCS move
If you’ve juggled a deployment
If you’ve navigated TRICARE
If you’ve made dinner for even one picky child
You already have the skillset.
Advocacy is not harder than dinner.
It’s easier — and far more impactful.
Your Call to Action (No Guilt, Just a Laugh and a Nudge)
Before you figure out what to make for dinner tonight —
or surrender to cereal again —
take one minute to email your representative or senator about:
DIC parity
The Caring for Survivors Act
A state bill
Or anything your family needs
You’ll feel productive.
You’ll feel empowered.
And dinner will still be waiting for you… like the passive-aggressive mystery leftovers it is.
