Emotional Blogging

I've always cared more about politics than the average person. My bestie from high school, Laurel, and I even hatched a plan that she would be president and I would be her chief of staff. I think our dream was officially over after the result of the 2004 reelection of George W. Bush. Neither of us could figure out how his cabinet could fabricate a war and then the American people would increase their support for him. The world really missed out on the Laurel/Paige combo as witnessed by an event we crushed last month:

Although, honestly Doo-Kyoung is the special sauce. She is a total pro.

The day after the election I wore all black and cried through my classes. It was a season of mourning and learning; Learning that my hope cannot be in politics. Kamala Harris' concession speech would have done me well at that time. 

Upon finishing college in Seattle, I moved to Washington DC so I could protest in-front of the White House on my internship lunch break, interrupt congressional hearings, and generally "stick it to the man". But after a few months, I looked for a ticket out of the US which came in the form a masters program in Berlin. I stayed out of the country most of Bush's second term before coming back to two glorious Obama terms.

Election Day 2016 Laurel and I did some half-hearted phone banking for Hillary Clinton. Because I'm me, I never stayed on script which might have contributed to her loss. I turned off my phone for my flight from San Diego to Portland. When I touched down, I found out that Trump had won. I declared to my in-laws, who were watching Crosby, that "I'm out." I'm not sticking around to see what kind of USA a sexist, racist, narcissist cooks up.

So yeah, I already had some strong feelings about Trump before he showed himself to be worse than we imagined. I'm as shocked as anybody from a blue state that he won again. I don't have a single family member or close friend who openly supports Trump. Some people would say this is part of the problem, that I'm in some kind of silo. But no, I generally don't connect with people who condone disrespect, toxic masculinity, and unkindness in their everyday lives or on the ballot. My family of origin used to be Republican. Nevertheless, all of them view Trump's incompetence, dishonestly, and temperament as disqualifying. 

All of this was a big intro to - where do we go from here? 

The short answer is we do what we've been doing to cope since 2016. Here's what's "worked" for me.

I have boundaries on my news intake. Specifically, I watch only comedy news. Once a week, Paul and I watch a few Stephen Colbert monologues and meanwhiles. His intro and monologue last night were just what the doctor ordered - mostly because there were no actual clips of Trump saying his usual asinine comments. When Saturday Night Live is on we watch the weekly update. This likely will be my only source of news as they never do live clips of Trump. I don't know if I'll even be able to stomach the cold opens this season. I will keep reading the Local English Language News App. It produces five articles a day about the top stories in Germany.

Because I have the option, I keep working on my German citizenship. If you are an American Living in Germany, the first step is scheduling your citizenship test at a local community college. Like most German things, you'll have a bunch of forms, lines, and need to go there in person. Once you have your test date, schedule a time to see the 15 minute film at the Visitor Center of the Berlin Wall Memorial. It will give you the historical context and then the Einbürgerungstest App will teach you fun facts about how many countries are in the EU, etc. The longer you've been here, the less you'll likely need to study.

I relapse to reading romance novels. I was going to stop, but as my sister-and-law reminded me, they bring me joy. 

If Emily Henry can't take your mind off politics, no one can.

I ride my bike all over town looking for rare antibiotics for my three vaccinated children who still managed to get Whooping Cough. Ok, I don't recommend this as a coping strategy. It was just a small nod to the $hit storm of a week I'm having and a reminder that sometimes Germany isn't a paradise. But generally, I recommend exercise. 

If outdoors isn't an option, Let's Dance delivers.

The most important thing is that I will continue to be thankful for the many joys in my life. Paul and I are in a season of mourning. A dream of a better USA died this week. But, the last thing I'm going to let this tyrant take from me is my joy....or sleep. Speaking of which, I need to join this little lady.