so someday I'll remember

I have spent most of my adult life not being a very political person.  It's been a topic that I've just steered clear of, tired of the fighting, not wanting to offend others by jumping into the fray, and honestly more worried about the problems in my own home than the problems in Washington.  This year things have changed.  It's not that I'm not worried more about my own home, it's that I'm realizing how things happening in Washington could impact those things, and it's not ok.  I'm not usually an alarmist, but the rise of our current administration has set off a lot of bells and whistles for me.  It's a good thing I don't work for him currently, because if I was a member of the state department and said I disagreed, my job would be gone today.  That kind of censorship is terrifying.

There are many things that bother me about where we are right now as a nation.  We've elected someone who does not in my mind have the makings of a good leader.  I consider good leaders to be people with integrity.  I want a leader I can trust.  I want a leader who puts the needs of others before their own.  I think good leaders practice servant leadership.  I don't see any of these qualities in our current leader. Many tried to point out that he would surround himself with the best and brightest.  The people he's chosen to surround himself with make me even more nervous.  I see friends and family who are so relieved it's not the other candidate that they feel like they can sit back and relax.  Both candidates were equally abhorrent to me, just in different ways, and honestly in some of the same ways.  Our vigilance can't stop just because thank heavens it's not Clinton.

Part of my job as a history teacher was to inspire civic involvement.  After I hung up my teaching hat, civic involvement took a back seat for too long. Right now I see freedoms starting to slip and it makes me nervous. I see an executive branch attempting to remove checks and balances through use of executive orders. I see a need for action.  I am hopeful that I can find my role in it all.  I alternate between contacting my congressmen and trying to focus on doing good in my own sphere.  I'm hopeful that a backlash of goodness will help to balance out the craziness happening, because if it's doing anything, it's helping people realize they have to act.

I wanted to write about this because I feel like in the future, it's something I will want to look back on.  What were my feelings after Trump's first week in office?  Here they are.  I'm strapping on my seatbelt because I fear we're in for a wild ride.

On the passage of time

Today Facebook told me I had memories from this day to look back on.  

Six years ago today I was finding out about something I missed in my dad's COBRA paperwork that was going to interfere with his insurance coverage.  I remember the stress of that time and trying to figure out how I was going to navigate the mistake, although I don't remember all of the specifics. 

Five years ago today we found out we were having a girl, and Addie was beyond excited.  We had a late ultrasound and brought pink cupcakes to surprise our family waiting for the news.  I was so excited to add another girl to our mix. 

Three years ago today we moved all our belongings into the garage of our home and moved ourselves into a hotel for several days while we waited for our windows to be reinstalled.  Long, long, frustrating days after 7 months of our build that I wouldn't want to relive. 

It struck me looking back on these events how much happens in what feels like the blink of an eye.  Each of those years looked so different, from being up to my chin in caregiving to being completely elated to welcome another baby to being so exhausted from a marathon build process.  Today if I were to summarize the day, it would talk about going to a doctor's appointment, grocery shopping, cleaning and cooking and celebrating Sam's birthday with friends tonight.  It would talk about how loud a few 9 and 10 year olds can be, and how grateful I am for the good kids we're surrounded with.  It would talk about how much mess can be made in a kitchen after making homemade pizzas.  It would also talk about how grateful I am to be where I am right now.

Wes is hard right now with ear infections and lack of words and lots of screaming and whining, but even with those few difficult behaviors, I feel some of the fog of the first 18 months starting to lift.  I feel myself being able to do a little more than I have been.  When we made goals for the year, one of my goals this year was to have people over more often.  Addie gave a big sigh of relief because it's been the norm for a long time to have people over, but since Wes was born I had to recognize the things that had to go, and that was one of them.  I've retreated from a lot of things over the last 18 months (really, longer, when I factor in being pregnant).  My energy has been limited, and so I've had to put it where it's really mattered.  As I've started to get out of the haze, I can feel myself stretching out again, willing to gather some of the things that have fallen by the wayside back into my life.  It feels good to get back to some of those things that bring me  joy.  I don't want to take on too much too soon, but there are friendships I've neglected, words I haven't written, music I haven't played, parties I haven't had, and things I haven't learned that have waited for me.  There are plenty of things I have learned, and learning how to be selective with my time and energy during different seasons of life is one of those lessons.  I'm hopeful that as I reach out again, I can enjoy taking things on without overextending.  Life is a constant balancing act.  Time passes oh so quickly, and I don't want to regret how I'm spending it.  I'm grateful for the little Facebook memories today that reminded me just how fast time flies.