Since early November I have struggled with how and what to write. For the last seventeen years, since the inception of this blog, I’ve opted to remain apolitical believing that Love is more powerful than any message I might write about the right or wrong way to move forward politically.
The last post I sent out included a new version of my song “Love is the Reason.” When I recorded it, I felt sure that Hillary Clinton would win the election a few days later. As a supporter of hers, I wanted to remind my self and others to be inclusive (and not smug) as her administration got to work. When things turned out differently, however, I found I wasn’t able to feel love for the other side the way I hoped I would when Hillary won. Realizing my own shallowness was a pretty big shock for me. It made me – and continues to make me – question my previous work and all the work I might do in the coming months and years. Was love really strong enough to overcome my differences with others? Was the love in my heart big enough to include those I was suspicious of? Did their hearts deserve my love?
These are heady questions that I think a lot of us are dealing with now. I don’t have any answers except to continue asking questions of myself, and to continue with the work I love. In addition, I’m becoming more of an activist. I want to speak up about the things that are important to me. I want my gay friends to know I have their back, and my Muslim friends, too. I want my Congress People (all men out here) to know that accessible women’s health care is important to me, and that health care for all is too. I’m calling them, emailing them, and organizing events so that others can easily do the same. I want the world to feel like it did to me on January 21st when so many of us went peacefully to the streets to say out loud This is not the world I envision. I want kindness and diversity to exist together. Millions of people proved it was possible and it thrilled me to the core. The photographs of all of us from around the world restored my hope, something that had drained from my heart.
Every day, I see a version of the mountains in the photograph above. Some days the mountains are clear; some days they are covered in clouds. Some times the sky is blue; other days it is swirling with grey and white disturbance. The planet is awesome wherever you are, but it's glory is clear and visible every morning when I walk our dog, Wally. I want this world to be preserved. I want everyone to care – consume less, take notice more often, develop empathy and kindness above all else.
During these days of divisiveness, I want to remember what music does for me, what writing stories does, and I want to do more of both. I want to do my part to create more beauty, and to create a world I want to live in.