This past weekend was a little bit crazy-making. The boys had off school on Friday for an ice storm, then Monday for the holiday, which would have been fine if it hadn’t been cold, rainy, and too muddy to do much of anything outdoors. For the most part, to be fair, these three have an amazing ability to keep themselves occupied for hours on end; they draw, organize, play Legos, stack themselves into human pyramids in the living room only to crumple into a fit of giggles over and over again. They read, do chores (this time enticed by money to go outdoors in the rain to collect bucket after bucketful of gum tree balls from our lawn and our neighbors’ lawns), and find all sorts of creative outlets for their energy and growing minds.
Honestly, it is my own struggle to remain indoors for four days straight. I have used the fresh air and woods to give me perspective and clear my mind during a time I feel so shaken, so angry, so sad. I have felt an intense dread and uneasiness building that has everything to do with the impending inauguration of the toxic, hateful man our country has voted into power. I have stopped listening to the news during the day, stopped attempting to wrap my mind around it, as every time I see a picture of his face my stomach turns, my mind whirls. HOW?! How can this be happening? How can this be okay with so many? And yet, there is nothing I can write here that hasn’t already been written. I am immensely worried about the human rights that will be ripped away, for the gap of inequality to broaden, about the hate spewed from mouths of those emboldened by more hate.
I recently read something that made a tremendous amount of sense to me. It was a reaction to a huge part of the country’s disbelief in the nomination of he-who-shall-not-be-named. Those who voted for him retort, Those elitist liberals are living in a bubble. The reaction was something along the lines of this: What if the people who live in the biggest, most diverse cities (ultimately those who voted Democratic this election), those who are exposed to a wide range of people from varying races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations… what if they are not the ones who are “living in a bubble?”
I hope that the next four years are tempered by the hard work of the people who believe in equal rights, in coming together, in fighting for what’s right, in kindness and understanding and standing up and speaking out.
And here are my children, my hope for the future, growing and learning here within our safe, comfortable home, protected in large part by their privilege, which we discuss at length. I hope to teach them how to be good, how to be fair, how to see the people of the world with love and kindness and openness.
If you are able to join the Women’s March on Washington, to bring women together and show unity for women’s and other marginalized groups, register here. Or find a local sister march here. If you are local in St. Louis, the march will begin on Saturday, January 21st, at Union Station, from 9am to noon.
In addition, show your support to the following (among other) organizations:
ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)
Center for Reproductive Rights
Earth Justice
EJI (Equal Justice Initiative)
CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations)
The Trevor Project
Hang in there. We need each other right now.
