Done saving daylight. Our country ’tis of us all. Your vote, your voice. Speak.
I’m not a student of politics, nor am I apathetic. I know that these (as most lately have been) midterm elections matter, and I know that some of the contests resemble the side show at an early-1900s circus. I shouldn’t be, but I am, completely dumbfounded by the number of people who still are insisting that (whatever) is because of a Democrat or a Republican. We’ve mad it easy to pull the pin on whatever socio-political grenade, hide behind the shield of politics, and get away with whatever, misguided damage notwithstanding. That’s what politics have become…a shield…an excuse…a disaster…politics used to be about policy, now they are are a convenient and ugly line drawn to divide whatever two things…the line becomes a crack, the crack becomes a chasm, and bridging (forget about closing it!) that gap seems unlikely if not impossible.
I mean, everyone should be decrying what happened to Paul Pelosi. We’ve reached a point where attacks like these aren’t directly and explicitly encouraged yet they are expected and accepted. (See January 6th.) It’s like gun violence or racism or every other socio-political malady du jour…“terrible” but “nothing I can do.” Um for starters silence is consent, so start talking. Use your voice to make your position known, engage in healthy dialogue, and correct factual inaccuracies…then you can start dismantling the systems that support these atrocities. You can stop attributing these horrors to “politics” (shrug) and stop pointing fingers in either direction. Point a finger at yourself—be accountable. Get it right. Both Kari Lake and Donny Jr. Loser joked about the attack on Paul Pelosi. There’s nothing remotely funny or ok about it. (And do not blame the mental health crisis on a political party.) We as a struggling society are becoming immune, desensitized. We’ve become a nation where if you eschew extremism you’re mocked for being rational, often characterized derisively as a leftist or a Democrat. When really you’re not making a political statement at all but rather are speaking out in the name of humanity. Making everything about politics is easy—and it’s also cowardly and dangerous. Roll up your sleeves—do the hard thing. Focus on uses and speak about constructive solutions. I can tell you this—destructive solutions like storming the Capitol or hammering Paul Pelosi’s skull or shooting into a crowd aren’t solutions at all. So if you really want to solve a problem, you can’t create a problem. Should be obvious, feels pretty rational.
Yet it isn’t.
We’ve really lost our way.
I know it’s easy to look at midterms as no big deal, or maybe in your state or city/town there aren’t any key races or ballot items. Vote just the same. Understand the ballot questions. Make a policy-informed decision about who you vote for. Don’t necessarily vote party lines. And whatever you do, don’t believe any commercial. Do your research. Get the facts. Extreme party affiliation won’t get us anywhere. (Though I’m not really sure either party has a decent candidate who could win in 2024—it’s pretty terrifying to be honest.)
Anyhow…here in New England we enjoyed extremely unseasonably warm temperatures (record-setting, even…yesterday) this weekend. While from a political perspective and as stewards of good citizenship we probably should be attuned to global warming and climate change, from a practical perspective it meant spending a lot of time outside. From drinks by the fire with friends on Friday to those pesky change-of-season yard projects to going where the wind blew us (in this case from The Range for drinks to Vitamin Sea to grab some cans (so might has well have a beer while we’re there) to Lime Leaf for some tasty Thai) on Saturday to a Sunday spent out back watching Willie Geist and then football-viewing and cooking out with Kerri’s family, it was a banger! And I’m pretty sure I’ll be outside quite a bit today too, before the temps drop by 20° overnight. That said, it being pitch black last night before 6PM was a real kicker.
As I do every year, I used my extra hour a few times 😂😂😂yesterday. To sleep in. To go for a walk. To sit out back. I love the extra hour because for me it’s an excuse to be decadent multiple times. Otherwise what’s the point? Of course, that said, I completely crashed at 8:45. And when I woke up groggy and confused on the couch a half hour later, I gave myself permission to say goodnight. After which I promptly used my extra hour another 3 or 4 times, spending it on extreme insomnia. 🤦🏼♀️
So tomorrow’s the midterm elections. Please vote. The next time we chat, the people will have spoken, the Cheeto well may have announced another presidential run, and we’ll have more insight into just how ugly things are at the core of our nation.
I think I’ll take today, this space between, to enjoy the warm weather, and to be—to whatever extent possible—free of worry. I hope you can do the same.
And don’t forget to grab a Powerball ticket—real people do win.
Thanks for sharing this time and space with me. Have a great week. Love you too.