Four more years

It’s hard to not feel hopeless now that Trump has been re-elected. I hoped I wouldn’t even have to type that sentence. My first thought, upon waking and seeing the election results last week, was “I woke up in the wrong America.” My second thought: “Actually, this is exactly right.”

This is who America is. And it’s time to face that truth, no matter how painful.

This country was happy to, yet again, put all of its problems and hopes onto a black woman. We wanted “Momala” to come in and fix all our boo-boos. And this country would rather elect a convicted felon and rapist than a black woman.

Tells ya everything you need to know about this wild, wacky place I call home.

Our society is so fucking dysfunctional, it’s hard to know where to start to address all of its problems. I hoped that we’d make the right choice, elect someone qualified and capable, and maybe start moving in the right direction. I mean, my local Fox news was actually talking about changing Columbus Day to Indigenous People day! Things really were looking up.

Now we’ve got climate change, healthcare, and other crises at our door, and there are no grownups in the room. I know from experience that we can’t rely on Trump or his cabinet to actually govern. And maybe this place is just too big to govern. Maybe it’s time states secede into their own countries. There are too many differences in ideals and approach, too little agreement on morals and values.

The next four years are going to be hard, probably in ways no one can predict. We’re already seeing the effects of global warming. In my home state Connecticut, there are currently over 100 wildfires because the summer and fall have been exceptionally warmer and drier than normal. The entire state is under an outdoor burn ban, because with the wind and dry conditions, and so many fires currently out of control, the risk of more fire is too high.

I can’t remember a time when my state was burning. Not like this.

Not to be an alarmist, but the climate isn’t the only imminent change. It’s just the one we can see, hear, feel, and smell.

I’m a survivor. I’ve survived much in my short thirty-six years on this planet, and I’ll continue to survive. I don’t know what the next four years will look like, but I do know within me I hold the capacity to hope, survive, and love. Those are things that can’t be taken away.

Photo by Almos Bechtold on Unsplash