Where Do We Go From Here?

Every night for the last five nights I have had horrible, violent dreams.  I am clearly anxious about what is happening in our country.  He Who Shall Not Be Named is the silent leader of a growing army of the ignorant.  His blind followers - the angry, violent, bigoted, hateful, and racist people who now feel free to wear it proudly, are coming out of the woodwork.  Our leaders’ silence is giving them permission. I feel we are more divided than ever before.  We are not a nation of Haves and Have-Nots.  We are now a nation of The Bullies and The Bullied.

The sadness I initially felt, turned to anger, and while I am still anxious, it is working it’s way toward empowerment.  If any of my readers follow Carin Rockind (www.purposegirl.com), she shared a story recently of how this election was a call to action for her.  Instead of just believing in specific causes or ideals, she now feels empowered to act on them.  She calls it Fierce Action.  I love that.  I took some time to think about what this really means and what really matters to ME.  There are a lot of causes and ideals important to me that I will become more involved in, but the overall theme has always been the same.  Kindness and Positivity are things I will not compromise, not matter how nasty the climate.  I will not compromise myself.  I will lead by example and band together with like-minded people.  Maybe we need an Army of Kindness. I will urge my children, as angry as they are, to continue to lead their lives with compassion and integrity.  We will not let this election change who we are.  That is our power.

It is in my nature to give people the benefit of the doubt.  I have an open mind.  I am a hopeless optimist.  I may not have faith in our new president, but ultimately, I would like to see him succeed. I am rooting for the success of America.  I have many friends who are irate and angry, some who cannot crawl out of their grief.  I empathize with them, but I do not want to join the “He is Not My President” movement.  I am part of the “I am Disappointed and Scared” group, but the protests we are witnessing are often matching hate for hate.  We need to band together in positivity. We need to love each other more. We need to be hopeful.  We need to fight for the causes we believe in, instead of nodding our head in agreement.  We need to get through the next four years without causing irreparable harm to our morals. I am “simply positive” that I am committed to maintaining my sense of positivity. The bottle of champagne I chilled for a Clinton-victory will remain in my fridge, as I’m optimistic it will one day be opened.

Your homework this week is to take Action and not Reaction.  What matters to you?  How can you make a difference?  Are you walking the walk? How can you show your support?  How can you maintain your values?