Thursday Thoughts : love is not a victory march, it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah

1. What I'm doing post-election: Retreating into myself and being generally uncommunicative even with those who are of the same mind as me. I think people expected more talk from me, but I need to regroup. I'm not articulating well right now so I have to stop trying to...and frankly I think the time for talk is over - after all, if people did not care about the divisive rhetoric of the trump campaign before, they're not going to care now that he's been elected. I'm figuring out the actions I want to take going forward: exploring local options for activism; attending the Women's March on D.C. in January; supporting actual journalism and news sources like the New York Times and the Washington Post and NPR; calling my government representatives to urge them to speak out against the appointment of a white supremacist as chief advisor to the president elect; reading articles like this and about intersectional feminism; donating to the Southern Poverty Law Center monthly, buying Christmas gifts for LGBTQ youth through the Valley Youth House wish list as well as Planned Parenthood where I've been donating quarterly for as long as I've been able to afford to; and seeing the silver lining - the wake up call to all of us, even those of us who thought we were involved enough, like myself. I wasn't. I'm appreciative of my civil friends who voted differently than I did but who respect my space and beliefs. You do not have to have the same voting record as me to have room at my table but you have to recognize and be willing to stand up to the marginalization of others and you above all else have to not talk to me like I'm a fucking idiot. But mostly this week I've been sustaining myself on Biden memes.

2. What I'm not doing post-election: Normalizing any of this. Pretending not to see the acts of hate I personally witnessed in a liberal city last week. Allowing people to shit on peaceful protests and the right to assemble. Listening to people who say I'm over-reacting. Explaining myself to people who act like I owe them that for things I'm choosing to do in response to this election. Tolerating people who want me to respect their beliefs but have zero respect for mine - those people have no room at my table regardless of who they are. Playing nice so things are more comfortable and less awkward - that has gotten me nowhere - and we are well beyond politics and into human rights and equality at this point in the game. Ignoring the fact that trump's entire team is full of Washington insiders even though so many voted for him because he's an "outsider" who promised to "drain the swamps." Downplaying or hiding my anger - I am angry as hell and dare anyone to tell me I don't have the right to be. Accepting and going back to life as I know it. Just because I'm quieter in general doesn't mean I'm silent - I'm just using my voice where it's needed most right now, and that's not in trying to change the minds of people who don't see the crisis or in preaching to the choir.

3. What I'm eating: wonton soup. It's the cure for what ails me and a lot of things ail me right now, including this lingering illness that will not die. I've slept over nine hours every night, taken holistic and non-holistic measures to rid myself of it,  and I'm still not over it.

4. What I'm reading: Inching along with The Trespasser. I haven't had a good chunk of time to devote to this, and with all the books in the Dublin Murder series, I need a little time to acclimate to the language and the setting.

5. What I'm watching: The Fall. I finished season three this week. Anyone else?

6. What I'm struggling with on the petty side: chipped nails; magically disappearing hat that I got for my mom for helping with the dogs; two time changes (Ireland changes time before we do) + jet lag = apocalypse now

7. What I'm looking forward to: this season of SNL (haven't said that in a hot minute), drinking 479 cups of Barry's tea this winter, Thanksgiving food, getting back to the shore and existing in a quiet town for 24 hours.

8. What I'm loving: my new quilt made with love by Lori. It's reminiscent of a much beloved quilt my Mom-Mom made me. It makes me happy to see it and sleep under it.

9. Reminding you, me, and all of us since the weekend is coming: 

10.  E-card of the week: 

Happy happy birthday to Denise today, my framily member since she was born. 

Linking up with Kristin