11-7-18
The past two days, hell the past week, have had its moments. Despite being disconnected from major media, trying to avoid the bombardment of all the political messaging is a fruitless endeavor. With the proverbial dust beginning to settle we can slowly start to pull back and see what’s left.
Was it an overwhelming amount of change? No. It hardly ever is. So, what do we do? We Wait? Wait for what? Wait for something new, for something different to come along?
The side the coin fell yesterday may be the same as the day before, but when we look at what happened last night there’s something big to take away from it all. Women, minorities, LGTBQ, and even the younger population found their voice strengthening. The collective voice felt liked it quivered a bit less today.
We as a country are going to welcome our first two female Native American Congressional Representatives, our first two Muslim Women Representatives, numerous first-time female Senators, Governors and more. We are going to welcome our first openly gay governor. We have representatives as young as 29 years old entering the hallowed chambers of our nation’s capital.
I wanted to be mad. I wanted to be angry. Angry at all the people frustrated with a system, yet too incumbered to vote, instead they sit on their pedestals insulting other’s intelligence and motives in their processes. I wanted to be mad at all the older generations degrading young voters wanting to make a stand for their futures through their nationalized walkouts. I wanted to grab every single person spewing anger and vitriol language on either side of the political spectrum and remind them that progress is never made by standing on the side, complaining, but rather by implementing ideas and taking action.
I was reminded yesterday that if voting didn’t matter, then why do we see how hard others work to try and take it away. IT IS OF VALUE.
And then I think about all the new people that have been granted such grand esteem to represent their fellow citizens. My brilliant wife said, “it’s not just about those that got elected, but also the countless people that they will be bringing with them.” That stopped me dead in my tracks. There are hundreds if not thousands of people getting ready to head to the nation’s capital. Of course, many have been there already, but the one’s who haven’t, they still have the opportunity, and likely desire, to change what they can.
The nervousness is still there. I doubt it would’ve gone away if all “my guys” had gotten elected. It isn’t debilitating though, and that’s honestly better than what I could’ve expected. I know there’s many people that would say to not take these things so seriously. That to occupy one’s time so much with these thoughts is a meaningless act in futility. Well to that I say, we used to wait, and to see the slow movement of progress once again, I don’t know how quiet I can go back to being. “Hear my voice screaming, sing the chorus again.”
Lyrics:
I used to write letters
I used to sign my name
I used to sleep at night
Before the flashing lights settled deep in my brain
But by the time we met
By the time we met
The times had already changed
I never took my true heart
I never wrote it down
So when the lights cut out
I was lost standing in the wilderness downtown
Now our lives are changing fast
Hope that something pure can last
Hope that something pure can last
How we used to wait for letters to arrive
But what’s stranger still
Is how something so small can keep you alive
We used to wait
We used to waste hours just walkin’ around
We used to wait
All those wasted lives in the wilderness downtown
Ooooo we used to wait
Ooooo we used to wait
Sometimes it never came (we used to wait)
Sometimes it never came (we used to wait)
Still moving through the pain
I’m gonna sign my name
Like a patient on a table
I wanna walk again
Gonna move through the pain
Now our lives are changing fast
Hope that something pure can last
Hope that something pure can last
Ooooo we used to wait
Ooooo we used to wait
Sometimes it never came (we used to wait)
Sometimes it never came (we used to wait)
Still moving through the pain
We used to wait
We used to wait
We used to wait
We used to wait for it
Now we’re screaming
Sing the chorus again
We used to wait for it
We used to wait for it
Now we’re screaming
Sing the chorus again
I used to wait for it
I used to wait for it
Hear my voice screaming
Sing the chorus again
Wait for it
Wait for it