Now What?
I’ve had a hard time posting lately because the last three months or so have been a complete roller coaster of emotions for me. The death of my first grandparent and unfortunate news about my dad’s health were difficult things to deal with and they were juxtaposed with the happiest day and night of my life – mine and Scott’s wedding! The support, love, joy and pure elation we felt that day was something wonderful to be surrounded with. Everything was perfect – and then the election happened. I really do try not to get too political around people who may not want to hear it, but life has not been so rosy after I learned that Donald Trump will be our next President. I’m not going to go into the multitude of reasons why I think this is a terrible, awful, really no-good idea because there are plenty of other people out there talking about that. So instead of focusing on the worry and fear that I feel, I’m insteading choosing to focus on what I can do about it. And here’s what I’ve come up with (so far):
- I’ve started monthly donations to Planned Parenthood (in Mike Pence’s name…which put a smile on my face), the ACLU and the Sierra Club. I’m not able to give tons of money but every dollar helps.
- I took a self-defense class, because I feel helpless and impotent and have some legitimate fears about the safety of myself and my loved ones over the next few years. I’m not exactly Rambo now but it was empowering and I’m going to go back for more.
- I’ve purchased a trash-picker-upper and will be using it to gather the garbage in my neighborhood. Eventually I’m going to rally my neighbors to do the same – we may not be able to clean up Washington but we can at least take care of our own backyard.
- I’m continuing my volunteering with the food pantry and the Field Museum. I decided long ago that two causes I feel strongly about are education and poverty, specifically hunger awareness. Volunteering at the pantry and the museum allows me to literally get my hands dirty while making a difference.
- I’ve called my local congressional representative to tell them that I’m opposing Trump’s pick of Steve Bannon as his Chief Strategist and urging him to pressure Trump to remove this known white supremacist from the White House.
- I’ve bought bus tickets for myself and Scott to attend the Women’s March in Washington DC over Inauguration Day weekend. It’s going to be a long weekend spent mostly on a bus but we’ll be there to stand and march with others promoting equal rights. This isn’t a protest but instead a rally to unite women and those who believe in minority causes.
- I’ve talked about this. I’m talking about this right now! I have refrained from getting into long Facebook arguments because I don’t feel that’s very constructive and instead I have talked with my friends and allies about what we’re feeling and what we’re going to do about it. I’m also trying very hard to keep in mind that four and eight years ago the other side was feeling like I do now. Some of the hate and rage I’ve been seeing from the left is very reminiscent of what I saw during the birth of the Tea Party and it’s scary. It’s also not something I want to be associated with. Not that staying positive and not spewing hate is easy – I want to rant and rave with the best of them but I’m trying not to do so publicly. I would rather put forth an effort to be the change I want to see.
There’s more coming. And even if Trump turns out to be the best President the country has ever seen, the things I’m doing now will still be beneficial in the long run. I believe there’s always been more good in the world than bad and I’m going to do my damndest to keep that true for as long as I’m around to fight!
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