if i had a million dollars, if i had a million dollars...

...i would totally fly out to d.c. for the rally to restore sanity. a weekend with jon stewart, seeing if a call-to-reasonableness is a possibility? sounds amazing! with a message of: "take it down a notch america"? yeah, i think i could get behind that.

but then, after all that middle-ground seeking, i think i would have to head on over to the march to keep fear alive. 

 

perhaps i would waffle between the two? going back & forth, feeling invigorated in the same way you do when you go from the hot tub to the swimming pool. yep, if i had a million dollars, i would totally be d.c. bound the last weekend in october. {oh, & if i didn't have class that weekend.}

put your attention

a friend of mine always says, "put your attention" instead of pay attention. i love this phrase; it makes more sense to me and reminds me of her each time i use it. 

the past few years i have put a lot of attention towards politics. being one to get easily engrossed in things, i have found myself in a lot of heated conversations where i felt i must adamantly defend or explain my liberal ideals. sometimes my impulsiveness gets the best of me and i say things that are upsetting to people who matter a lot to me. at the end of the day it is just politics and those people are people i love. but i go to bed with a heavy heart, knowing i caused the rift in my life with my wagging tongue. and then all my attention for the next few days it put towards questioning and doubt, about who i have become--a person that doesn't always let love rule in my heart.

this past week it went a little further, my political obsession crept in between brandon and i. for the most part we are agreeable about politics {or else he is fearful to say otherwise, which is more terrifying to me than disagreeing!}, but this week it came out the he was less-than-thrilled {great euphemism, eh?} about some recent events where i made my political ideology known. mostly he was upset because how i expressed myself wasn't respectful, to someone he and i both have heaps of respect for. it got a bit worse, but this blog isn't titled "airing our dirty laundry" so i won't divulge those details. i did, however, go to bed each night with a progressively heavier heart.

i came across a great quote this afternoon that put it all in perspective for me. their rule [the radio] is: no silence ever. when anything happens the commentator has to speak without a moment's pause for gathering wisdom. falsehood and inanity are preferable to silence... the talkers are rising above the thinkers*. perhaps this is the lesson i need to learn: to avoid failing to gather wisdom before talking. and to put my attention to love, not devisiveness. 

{none of this comes from a place of feeling the need to be quiet or complacent. i will continue to speak out on issues that matter, but i hope to think before speaking and to let love be the guiding force, not politics. sorry, this feminist liberal isn't going anywhere soon.}

*barbara kingsolver, the lucuna.

peace abounds

we found out the news while we were out in black butte with friends. it didn't seem real at the time, but then again there was that concession speech from mccain. we drove home in the snow and ice, still not quite willing to admit that this was real. that our america would forever be a different, albeit better, country because of this day and because of what these election results signify. it just seemed too scary to admit because surely it was too good to be true.

i have believed in obama, in his grassroots movement, and in the power of our democracy for over a year (prior to that i was pretty disgusted and embarrassed by what the u.s. had become). and yet, i didn't expect a freaking landslide! this tells me so much about my fellow americans and that the future we have in store for us as this country is revived and healed. as we work towards peace. oh, let it abound!

wow. i can't wait to wake up tomorrow morning and be a citizen of the united states of america--and to be damn proud of it too!

welcome to the white house mr. commander-in-chief!

all that matters now

GO VOTE!!!

i have made no attempts to hide my support for barack obama as the next president of the united states. i endorse him as the candidate who can redirect this country from the course of certain demise are are currently on.

however, regardless of who you vote for, please just vote. don't throw it away. don't be apathetic about our country. it is a privilege many people fought for so that we can direct the winds of our nation. so as i said above, i don't care if we disagree politically, i want your vote to count just as much as mine!