bridging the divide, one tiny bubble at a time

So...

i realized that for the past week, i walk into almost EVERY interaction with ANYONE, with this mantra running through my head

friend or foe... trump or no???   ok... i just made that up today

i dont particularly like this new vigilance, but i am accepting it.
because only by accepting it can i consciously act on it

this morning i had pellets delivered from home depot.
i met the flatbed driver at the bottom of my front steps.
scraggly white guy, fifty-something, no front teeth, john deere baseball cap.
as stereotypical a trump voter as i am not.

i smiled and said hi

and right off the bat, i saw fear in his eyes. who knows, maybe he saw fear in mine as well

i asked if he could forklift the pellets to the top of the driveway, to make it easier for us to move them into the garage.

sure! i'll put one pallet here and one there so you dont have to carry them too far

awesome! thank you!

that's all it took

after, he brought paperwork for me to sign.

thank you so much... have a good day

oh thank YOU ma'am. you have a great day too.

and he smiled at me from his eyes... relief...gratitude...

i believe we are more alike than different.
i DO NOT BELIEVE that all, not even the majority, of trump supporters are misogynist, racist, xenophobic, anti LGBT creeps.
seriously... i don't

I DO believe that they are frustrated, hard working folks who want to feel safe and secure.
they want safety and security for their children and loved ones.
and as arguably misguided as i think their blame may lay, i also think it may be misguided on the anti-trump side as well

am i still afraid? am i still sickened?
do i have to work every minute of every day to not fall into the abyss?

yes...yes...and yes

do i think that this morning's brief interaction with the home depot delivery man was a gift?
an opportunity to strike a spark of light in encroaching darkness?

yes

do i think that maybe it affected him as much as it did me?

maybe...
YES

i will do my best, every chance i get, to peel away The Different and find the place of The Same.

i will keep wearing my safety pin, and i will keep popping bubbles