Finding Anchors in the Storm

Warning: This is long. What is new?

It is what it is. You get what you get, don’t throw a fissy fit. Just breathe. Count to 10. Find a solution. Just keep fighting. Do not give up.

Always have hope.

These are all statements I say to our children on a daily basis. Especially when I know they are facing tough situations. Maybe even more so when they are facing tough situations. Those statements went OUT the window yesterday and I couldn’t find a single one to squash my fear, my anger, my hatred, my pain.

Tuesday – the electoral college elected Trump (not the popular vote, where Hillary won). Is he MY president? No. He will NEVER be MY president. But he is ours. And for the next 4 years, he is America’s president. Will I EVER call him President? No. Will I ever bow down to him or his supporters? No. I am no baseball fan, but Trump – 3 strikes and you no longer have my support of being called “Our President”. But he is our President right now and I will respect that.

I am a bleeding heart liberal. And will be until the day I die. I follow MANY democratic/liberal leaning sites. Many of whom are calling on Democrats to block anything and everything he tries to push thru just as Republicans did to us. What a great idea!…… NOT!

If Trump is going to succeed and truly make America great again….then we need to give him that chance, and not stand in his way. If Trump is going to fail and do irreparable damage to America….then we need to give him that chance, and not stand in his way.

Now our definitions of success and damage are different. I get that. Will he unify the country? Sure. But not in the way many people think. All of those people he alienated, all of those HUMANS his supporters hurt/traumatized/threatened – we will all come back with a vengeance. BUT, to do so, we must be smart, logical, free of highly charged emotions, efficient.

I asked myself as I was going to bed last night – what is truly at the base of my fear? My pain? My tears?

My answer? My kids. My friends. My family. The unknown. Freedom to be who we are. The freedom to walk down the street and not be scared of what is lurking.

Am I afraid of his policies? To that, I answer – wait – did I miss a concrete policy? But the fear of the unknown is an intense, excruciating, visceral real pain. Will we be able to get the expensive medication for my daughter that she requires? At this time, he has NO replacement plan. And until I see one – I will be fearful of the unknown. Will his policies cause a recession? Who knows. We all have high hopes that he will MAGA! Will he stop alienating people bc of who they are? This entire election season – he hasn’t stopped, so why now? Will my son be able to live freely, or will we always be in fear that he may be murdered? As a gender creative kid – well that is a different post for a different time today. What are the ripple effects that be the result of whatever happens in the next 4 years? How will those ripple effects affect us??? How will the Supreme Court picks affect the rest of our lives? For generations to come? How many of my daughter’s classmates will be “sent home”?

Do not get me wrong. I want to make America great again. But at what cost?? In order to gain greatness, we must lose something. What is on Trump’s chopping block?

If Hillary were to be president – I would have been estatic. Why? Because I would still be able to afford my daughter’s medication. I would be thrilled that ALL HUMANS would be accepted, or at least our fears would not be so intense. I would be content knowing that my son – I don’t have to fear for the person he becomes. I would be estactic that we would continue to have access to health care, planned parenthood (not for the abortions, and if you think it’s just for the abortions – go to a planned parenthood and do some research), freedom of religion and speech, freedom from bullying.

But bullying in all forms has just been proven to be OK enough to get in the White House. My fears just intensified and there has thus far been NOTHING to calm them. NO real facts, policies, substance, to CALM my fears, and the fears of MILLIONS of HUMANS.

So how am I going to find Hope in all of this darkness?

If I see bullying and harassment – I will no longer stand idly by. I will be getting my concealed carry permit so that I can protect myself while protecting my fellow HUMANS. I will fight for my son to have the same rights as EVERY OTHER HUMAN. I will fight for my daughter to get the medication she needs. I will stay in America. The land that I love. And have HOPE that America will not falter over the next 4 years.

I will continue to #SpreadLove. I will continue to love my family and live my life. I will continue to find positives. And just because I am an atheist and do not believe in 1 single god – does not mean I cannot have Hope.

My HOPE comes from within, and it gets stronger as my fellow human beings get stronger. We will unite. We will overcome. Our rights will NOT FADE.

This is not my last post for the day. But it is my start to finding Hope.