Here is how my life has changed because of our newly elected president… It hasn’t.
I woke up at 3am to comfort my son who is going thru a scared of the dark phase. I awoke again at 5am to hearing my husband getting sick. I did my morning yoga, meditation and showered. I prepared my son for preschool. I lived. I am living.
There is a lot of talk about history being made — either way — last night. I don’t buy that. Because it’s not just the big moments that make history. It’s not just the big people that make history.
With every breathe we take we have the potential to make history. We get to choose how we use that breath and how we exhale it. You can use it to coast thru life or use it to change the world or a million degrees of choices between those.
With the external situations changing around you, it’s your choice how to react to them.
I choose to stay true to myself, my family and live my life the way I want. To be happy, healthy and joyful. No one, despite their power or placement can take that away from me.
But last night affected me in a way I didn’t expect.
I wasn’t pissed about who was winning or losing. I was upset by the commentators. I was being marginalized and categorized by two dimensional labels: white woman, uneducated white. (Yep, didn’t finish college.)
Every point or vote is a person. A person with a story, a journey of self discovery and expression. The sum of all of their life experiences, their hopes and fears.
To think I voted a specific way because of my race or gender or education is so antiquated and is probably why all the polls didn’t forecast things correctly. I am more then what my skin looks like or what’s between my legs. I have hundreds of labels that could be applied to me and yet every label you apply diminishes not me, but your understanding of me.
And every other person on the planet is the same.
Maybe you think I’m special in some way, that I break the mold. Maybe you think the same of yourself. But guess what… There are no molds. We are all unique.
So stop lumping everyone into buckets for you to love or hate. This Us verse Them mentality is what creates conflict. Love yourself. Love your neighbor. Love your enemy and we can attain peace within and without.