I had another post planned to share with you today, but after what’s happened this week it didn’t feel appropriate to send.
So instead, I’m writing Donald Trump a thank you letter. While that may sound crazy, please read on.
Mr. Trump,
Thank you for breaking our hearts.
Thank you for activating a deep sense of fear.
Thank you for being a powerful example of misogyny, especially to those who didn’t believe it existed.
Thank you for making history in the most devastating political event of my lifetime.
Thank you for breaking us down, over and over again by spewing hatred instead of love.
Thank you for creating such a horrifying reality for each of us, so that we may never let ourselves get here. Ever. Again.
If I could re-write the results from this past week’s election, I would in a heartbeat. I have felt sick to my stomach, riddled with fear, and devastated all in one breath. But I can’t, none of us can.
So what now?
Well, first off, wherever you are in your process, it’s all ok. You have full permission to take as much time to grieve, be angry, and honor your fear. I was right there with you for much of this week and I am sure all of those feelings will come up throughout the next four years. Let’s all honor it and not add more shame or denial to such a charged reality.
But here’s the thing: I am thanking Donald Trump because it’s the absolute best option I am faced with right now. He has shocked us so profoundly, and shaken us awake. And while I want to wallow, to say screw you, to give up, to be paralyzed by this new reality, now is the time to take action. I wish Hillary had won with all my heart, but perhaps we wouldn’t be so painfully activated right now if that did happen.
No more sitting back if you thought you might be able to. No more keeping quiet because you’re worried people won’t like being challenged. No more looking to others to make the change, while we enjoy the comforts of living a privileged life. I know that not everyone who reads my blog comes from the same background, but I also know that most of you are so incredibly blessed and fortunate. Just like me.
After this week’s results, I feel a moral obligation to take my privilege and use it to help others in a way I never even thought I could. By being louder, more expressed, and more disruptive all in the name of LOVE. I can’t say I have all the answers (or even one answer) on how I plan to do that, but I can promise you that it’s happening. I have been feeling a calling to go deeper for months now, and while I have started that journey, this election proved to me that there is SO much more to do.
It’s not my intention to force my new found desires for change on you, but I want you to know that if you’re as fed-up, scared, and tired as I am, you don’t have to sit back without taking action. We can join forces, we can raise awareness, and we can use our collective voices like never before.
I have always tried to be loving and kind to every soul I encounter, but my desire for that has deepened even more. Those broken hearts that we encounter everyday without even knowing it need our love more than ever. A smile, a sweet compliment, or even buying someone a surprise cup of coffee is a great way to start adding more love today.
However, we need to go way beyond that if we are ever going to see the change needed to put this country back together again.
I love you all so very much, and I hope this post is finding you ready to make a change too. Because we need you. I want to open the discussion in the comments below and ask that you share from your heart about how this election has left you feeling. What do you plan to do about it? Are you ready or still grieving? Let us know. We have to be vulnerable and come together, now more than ever.