Democracy

A storm is swooping in, the icy chill of the wind pummeling the kids and I as we walked toward their woodworking class. The cold came, seemingly, out of nowhere. Mother Earth echoes the angst felt by so many Americans today. I have been living in denial over the past four years, pretending 2016-2020 didn't happen. The idea that we might go back terrifies me. I don't know that democracy can withstand another four years. But I can't help wonder if, perhaps, it's already too late? If my fellow Americans prefer a convicted criminal who openly makes fun of minorities, disabled individuals, and women, then perhaps we all deserve Donald Trump?

The snow will fall tonight, a thin layer insulating our little family from the madness of the political world. I will awaken tomorrow, entombed by mother nature, a reminder that she walks alongside. There will be comfort, at least, in her presence and in the bitter cold of the dark, fall morning. I will walk alongside all the women who fought for their right to timely and appropriate healthcare, all the minorities who lost their lives in pursuit of justice and equality, and alongside every LGBTQ individual who has felt unseen and unimportant.

I will walk in the company of all the souls who have fought ferociously for the idea of a more just and equal existence. I will walk forward alongside those who believed in an America for every individual and not solely for white, middle-aged, privileged men. In the company of so many individuals who have sacrificed everything, I will not feel alone. I will be embraced, in good company, by all those who have come before and, despite a great and looming darkness, continued in pursuit of a tiny, flickering light on the horizon.