in the most not-normal times, this quilt has seen us through. two broken wrists, the quilt. the covid pandemic, the quilt. getting fired, the quilt. our babycat dying, the quilt. losing three other positions between us, the quilt. a few other circumstances and initiatives that wouldn’t fall under any gollygee category, the quilt. it has been a mainstay.

and here we are.

and life is not normal.

it is an intense time. and it’s only been a week.

and, anytime i’ve forgotten for a moment or two – or maybe even an hour – it all comes roaring back. and i remember.

and then i remember that people chose this.

chose it.

and now they are acting as if it is all normal – as if they can’t see the band of cruelty that binds all the intention of this administration.

these are not golly-gee little-house-on-the-prairie times.

i viewed someone’s post on social media that stated we should all keep our political opinions to ourselves and post dog pictures instead.

i had…er…mixed feelings about this.

ok, so not really mixed.

this approach feels a tad bit pollyanna to me. a little sloughing-off of reality. perhaps a tiny bit delusional. not that I wouldn’t wish everything would be like that – all sweetness and everyone and everything light of spirit. but it isn’t. life is not normal now.

i would like to point out that lack of sharing honest information is how we got here. because of the lack of truthful information. because of the abundance of misinformation. because of the elitist-extremist-isolationist-bigoted blather that always seemed to be elevated on fox as powerful and all-knowing, the singular news source full of putrid propaganda…that is what brought us here.

so, i respectfully disagree with the post i viewed.

we are a country desperately in need of conversation and communication – and, whether you agree with someone or not, it’s pretty damn pretentious to think we all need to dumb it down – posting only fluff – to the exclusion of the tough stuff – that which is real.

social media is a place for us all to share life, what fun things we are doing, what work we are undertaking, what our children and their children are up to. a happy-go-lucky place to remember birthdays and anniversaries. a place to cheer on your sports team or ask for chiropractic recommendations. a place to brag. you might wish this to be merely a peaceful community with no fraught issues, no debatable topics, no what-the-hell-is-happening posts. but – just as important in this online world as positive chitchat – social media is an opportunity to reach out and ask questions, reach across divides and learn, reach compassionately to others, acknowledge struggle and pain, sort to ways we might all be life-giving. life is the current cruel chaos happening right here right now AND everyone’s dogs, my friend. social media is not a quilt.

when life is relatively normal it may be all well and good to not stir the pot, to post the quintessentially charming things. quite lovely, actually.

but when life – in these united states – is completely out of kilter, and nothing you have posted even nods to the chaos that is ensuing, nothing you have posted even makes mention of your horror at the demolition of this country, nothing you have posted even touches on the cruelty that is happening in our country – which is also your country – it makes me wonder what cave it is into which you have stuck your head.

and then i am rapidly brought back to reality.

there are those of you who wanted this. and so the reason you haven’t said anything about being horrified is because you aren’t.

you wanted all this.

agenda and project intentions about which people are afraid and hurting, clinging to the last of their freedom and rights.

and you wanted this.

people in your families will soon feel the impact of all this, the impact of unconscionable authoritarian, extremist rule.

and you wanted this.

so just know that when you post the gollygee things you are posting as if life is normal and everything is totally ok – i am here knowing you wanted all this and that you are not sorry and that you weren’t willing to be factually informed and you can’t be bothered to even pretend to be compassionate.

when you post on social media as if life is normal, it doesn’t make it normal.

when you post on social media as if life is normal, know that my heart is broken.

because i know you wanted this.

please. get me my quilt.

*****

read DAVID’s thoughts this FLAWED WEDNESDAY

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