Be honest - did you cry on January 20th?
Did you wipe away a tear when Lady Gaga pointed to the flag when she sang "that our flag was still there," because 2 weeks ago to the day there was a scary moment it wouldn't be? Remember when police officers were hit with poles with Blue Lives Matter flags, and insurgents replaced the American flag with phony ones?
Did you cry when Kamala Harris stepped up to the podium, her face glowing with pride and excitement knowing this is her moment? She is taking the first foot forward so many others will follow in her footsteps. (I'm still weeping over this).
Did you cry when Katy Perry sang Firework and the sky magically lit with "bombs bursting in air"?
Did you realize how much lighter your head felt that morning? The northeast had a brief all white snow squall that that morning and somehow by it was gone. I sat on the sofa and the rays of sunshine felt so warm and comforting on my back.
We are collectively exhausted. We have been running on high speed for the last 5 years. We've been judging each other, sizing up people by political leanings. We've argued with our friends and family (and family doctors in the middle of a hospital in my case!) We've been programmed for 5 years to keep checking social media and the televised news. "Did you hear what he said?" "Oh my God, I can't believe this is happening!" We have been functioning at such a high mental rate. We've been learning about the Constitution, the Electoral College, Impeachment practices and how Senate hearings are conducted. People casually say "I yield my time" in meetings. We couldn't keep track of the revolving door of high level officials like Secretary of State to the communication directors. I had to google that Obama's Secretary of Education was Arne Duncan.
Everyone felt a load has been lifted. I've heard this from a number of people. Twitter and Facebook blocking 45 has also been a relief. We don't know what he's thinking or trying to instigate. We're just focusing on our lives.
The last year especially has hit the world so hard. I don't need to repeat numbers of Covid deaths, job losses, food insecurity and the impact on our schools and children. We have been struggling to survive and stay safe. If the pandemic wasn't reason enough for our fatigue, it's been multiplied by the unwarranted stress of emotional negotiation with Covid. It's obvious the US has not been unified and there are multiple messages being transmitted, instead of a national directive and strategy. While some people live in socially limited or locked down conditions, others are freely congregating as usual. This has been a personal issue for me where we have declined social situations because we did not feel it was safe or wise. Technically, this shouldn't have happened. What if the government had said, "Hey let's all work together May to July so we can open schools safely in September"? There are so many what ifs.
If you need to cry to know this is over, that's perfectly understandable. We've gone through a lot of trauma - we've grieved over our lives, "in normal times". The phrase, "No, we can't. Because of Covid." is all someone has to say.
Everything has been piling on so much we feel like we can't have any good news. And, that's when January 20th landed on us. I know so many people held their breaths - waiting for something catastrophic to happen. But it didn't.
This is a historic time and we are going through a global transformation.
The January 6th attack on the Capitol was quite a pivotal experience. If I may dare say, it's helped us move toward unity.
I've heard interviews where some Trump loyalists who had consumed the
propaganda are moving away from the violent protestors and white
supremacists.
As for myself, I've been an information hound - I listen to a number of political podcasts and especially on Slate and Crooked Media, where smart people just say it as it is without a filter. They explain the process and how it's supposed to work. I've been following astrologers and mediums on YouTube who cast their tarot cards, assuring their audience there will be lighter days.
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