I confess that as the poll results came in last night, Nov 3, I dissociated a bit and continued my binging of the late 1990s early 2000s series Felicity. I do enjoy watching old shows that hold up fairly well and lean into life without cell phones or heavy internet influence. Just college kids walking to each others’ dorms and apartments, knocking, and having angsty conversations.
But this morning I woke to a blue wave like I never anticipated. I don’t know that anyone did. Countless red states flipping to blue, GA elects the first Black woman governor (thank you Stacey Abrams for loosening the locks on that door!), first Native American governor elected.
This illustration looks like a cheesy airbrush that belongs on a tourist t-shirt but it’s succinct;
I am excited for this news while also cautious. Nothing will change quickly. Perhaps nothing will change at all. Long term, this will flip back the other way eventually. It always does. Until our government and how it operates changes, it will always be an “us vs. them” situation, sadly.
Perhaps it’s reversible, but I’m not so sure. For now, I am excited to know that the citizens of this country made these choices! And that means just as much to me as what might come next.
On top of good news, I am also feeling a bit sad. Well, very sad. By the end of this week, my childhood home will officially no longer belong to my parents. Weeks ago I visited her, wandered her huge empty rooms, had a good cry, thanked for being a beacon for me for my whole life, and apologized for whatever was about to happen to her.
I still have boxes of paperwork, photos, letters, documents, and a diary in my possession which belonged to the original owners. It is an absolute treasure and gift to be a steward of these items, which I plan to do something with eventually. Once I document the heck out of all of it, I will hand it over to the Wakefield Historical Society.
In the weeks leading up to my parents moving out, I made videos for social media. I called them Stuff in My Parents’ House. I suppose I should have named them Stuff in My Childhood Home to maintain accuracy over time, but whatever. I have moved them to YouTube and they can be found HERE (they’re slightly more chronological if you select “Oldest” at the top). And a few more can be found HERE, because I can’t figure out how to get the whole collection in one section.
