But I can't. And if I look at 2017 objectively, it's very difficult for me to get excited when I remember that DT is about to become president of this great country. For the first time in my life, I have a feeling of dread for the new year, and I am without hope that things will end well for this country, even though I do believe things will work out fine for our family. It's a very interesting place to be.
I read, however, a wonderful article this morning that had me feeling much more optimistic.
The original article can be found HERE (and I highly recommend the entire article). Here's a snippet:
"I want to reflect on one of the more depressing sentiments I’ve heard friends express since election day: that they can’t wait for the next four years to be over.
But quadrennial presidential cycles are a terrible frame to mark the timing of our lives. Hoping for time to pass swiftly makes our lives seem small and unworthy.
We can’t let four-year chunks of time determine our emotions and gloss over the gift of our very own lives, as if presidential politics are more important.
So please remember: you are important, every day, much more so than any of the grifters headed to the White House.
I was similarly dismayed throughout the 2016 campaign to hear friends say that they couldn’t wait for the election to be over. What did they miss while hoping for life to be over more quickly?
...Embracing and celebrating my full humanity is neither contingent upon presidential administrations nor on a particular sense of safety. I’ve buried too many loved ones – and learned how important it is to be with them in that process despite not being able to “do anything” – that I don’t want my days to pass quickly, even the difficult ones.
I don’t want to wait for four years to feel good about living again, any more than I want any of you to miss being present for all the hugs, tears ... the first kisses and last words, the shade or the laughter that make up the days of our lives.
What you think is important. What and who you read is important. Poetry is important. Science is important. Don’t let anyone tell you that thoughts, daydreaming and critical theorizing aren’t important in days like these...
As we face a highly uneducated, anti-education presidential cabinet, we need our critical minds and creative spirits going more than ever. We need this to fight but also just because it’s fun to think about the moon, iambic pentameter or the sea.
I am not saying that the well-being of the things that are important to you are not interconnected with presidential politics. Nor am I advocating that we ignore who is coming to power in just a few weeks. We need to be ready for the fight of our lives, and self-care alone is not an effective remedy for what is headed our way. A full-on resistance to an accelerated crisis of autocracy and xenophobia is necessary. Many of us will be in harm’s way.
But along the way we must not forget: you are important. Despite the hell it wrought, 2016 was still the most extraordinary year of my life – not due to a quaint idea of happiness, but because of experiencing growth, of being present to pain....
My life is not going to be dictated simply by celebrities or politicians (or a president-elect who embodies the worst traits of both). Nor should yours, even as he comes at us."
So, in this spirit- of enjoying life, while also realizing that there will be some fighting coming, here are my 2017 Predictions (made in as positive a spin as I can muster):
1. Broncos will have secured a wild card play off spot (see how positive I am being?)
2. Patriots vs. Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Seahawks win.
3. We will FINALLY take back our school board and beat the Koch Brothers to regain the majority of the school board
4. Camille's speech will greatly improve and we will not need to sign her up for 1st grade
5. Audra will go to state fair for a sewing project
6. Our country will be embroiled in some sort of international dispute due to a tweet (probably more than 1)
7. Republicans will blame Obama for that international dispute, completely ignoring the facts and making up their own fake news
8. I will go the entire year without hearing DT's voice (which is my goal for his entire 4 year presidency)
9. Resistance groups will mobilize and fight DT at every turn, making his life miserable and causing him to get bored of being president, moving him on to a shinier token to play with, and leaving Pence actually in charge of ruining the country (I love me some resistance groups!)
10. We will continue to enjoy the daily grind of homeschooling, being a family, traveling, and just loving life.
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