hovering.

For the first time in my entire life, I got involved with politics this year. It helps that I was fortunate enough to receive an internship from Human Dignity Coalition, the local equality group, and despite my main duties as office bitch (don't think I'm not proud to be HDC's office bitch though - I wrote it on my arm at the Drag Show) I am getting an inside peek at non-profits and the fight for equality in a world of discrimination.

In California, the ballot banning gay marriage was passed. I'm disappointed, but not, perhaps, as much as I should be. The only thing floating my balloon is that Obama actually said, "..Native Americans, and my gay brothers and sisters" in his victory speech. We may not have won marriage, but we did achieve national verbal recognition with the new president elect. Hopefully now we can continue to separate religion from politics. One religion cannot run a country; if we look to other countries, we can see the heart break that it causes. All religions need to become tolerant, or there will always be hate and war. Understand that: if you do not tolerate other religions and all things different than you and your beliefs, you will continue to contribute to war, hatred, and pain as long as you live. I'm not telling you to drop your belief systems or bring sugar cookies to your neighbors that you disapprove of - I am telling you to let go, and learn to accept. Ultimately, when this country collapses and politics and money no longer rule, we will all remember that we are of the same stuff, the same flesh, the same divine spark, the same love and pain and tears. 

I've never gotten so angry about politics. Obviously I got angry my fair share of times about Bush and his shitty ruling of the country (democracy my ass), but I've never fought about things. This time, I got into a heated argument with a Republican who called me closed minded and accused me of "not doing my homework" before making my choice to vote. I explained that all the homework I needed to do was hearing McCain's discrimination against gays and the knowing that the majority of his policies line up with Bush's, and that was that. However, it got me wondering, is that good enough? Should I have pored through internet sites and partisan literature? Should I have really taken a good look at McCain before I so blatantly disregarded him? Should I have instead voted for the more liberal, independent candidates, even with the knowledge that it was either Obama or McCain, hands down? I'm not sure. I feel in my heart that standing against anyone remotely similar to Bush was my position from the get-go, and that everytime I heard Obama speak, I felt hopeful. I told some friends that I felt like I was under an "Obama spell," that he seemed so genuine, so human; not some stuffy right-wing Christian who doesn't have a clue what's happening in the lower class, doesn't have any idea how people struggle, and doesn't have any idea what blatant discrimination really does to people (look at the Native Americans first, then the African-Americans, then the Homo-Americans). 

Don't get me wrong. I don't perceive Obama as the answer to all our needs in this time of upheaval. I don't think he can cinch up all our loose ends and right all the wrongs made in one term, and I don't even know if he's got what it takes. Obama is not the point.

The point, my friends, is that the American people finally, finally, finally stood up and said, "Enough. Enough." They came out in record numbers. They voted historically red states into blue ones. They stood in lines for hours upon hours to have the chance to say, "Enough." The consciousness of this country showed itself, that we are not a blind people all of us. That we can realize our own power. That we can hope and work towards that grossly cliche brighter future. So, to me, Obama is not the point, though I am praying he will be able to stay level headed and remember (unlike most other politicians) to follow through on what he told us in the beginning. The point is that America got out of its seat, raised its hand, and said, "Excuse me, I have had enough - I want change. And if it is a black man, I will still vote for him." We voted a black man into the White House. There are even white republican older men who voted Obama into the White House. This, my friends, is so incredibly beautiful. This is a step. Of course there is still racism and discrimination, of course hate crimes could go up, but the ball is rolling now. My eyes are tearing up just thinking about it.

Today I am feeling very tired. I don't know if it's the beautiful full clouds covering the sky, or the fact that my energy has been so rampant within the political realm, but I just want to curl up on the sofa and turn off my phone. It's not that I don't want to talk to anyone, it's just that, well, I don't want to talk to anyone. Perhaps I just need some time to come down. 

I love you all. I honor that in you which is divine. I honor the sacred beautiful holy creativeness which lies within you, and I ask you gently to remember that you are holy, worthy, and sacred, and that with you all things are possible.