OK Ladies Now Let's Get In Formation

A year ago I wouldn't have used words like "political," "activist," or "protester" to describe myself. A year ago I was an optimistic and complacent American citizen who thought that as long as I was kind to people, the rest would work itself out. I thought I'd let Washington deal with the big stuff, like laws and policies, and I'd focus on the small stuff, like donating to non-profits and holding the door open for people. But in the past 12 months I've realized that it's not enough to hold doors open for people, and it's not enough to be kind. The truth is, I wasn't really participating in democracy. I was avoiding uncomfortable conversations about conflicting candidate choices, and I was assuming that the election would reflect my values and the values of most of the people I know. But I wasn't doing anything.

But now all that has changed. If I have to think hard (really hard!) about one good thing to come from this election, I guess it would be this-- I'm awake now.

Now I see that if an issue is important to me (ie, immigration, climate change, healthcare, etc.), that I can talk about it, even if it makes for an uncomfortable situation.  It's okay to be uncomfortable. That's how growth happens.

I know now that I can't rely on support for causes I care about, but I need to voice that support every chance I get. Even better, I need to provide that support myself. Translation: I need to put in some work volunteering. I need to show up.

So today, the first full day of the Trump administration, I'm waking up at 6AM to buy donuts for a group of women (and 1 man!) who are meeting at my apartment before we march at the Capitol of Colorado. Today I'm participating in democracy. I'm likely making some people uncomfortable, even angry, I'm voicing support for the issues I care about, and for the first time, maybe ever, I'm not afraid to make a political stand.

Ok ladies, now let's get in formation.