I wasn’t going to write anything. We’re all sick of politics and even more sick of the vitriolic hate being spewed on the internet every single minute of every single hour. No, no more of that. Instead, I just let this site stay quiet over the past week as I attempted to cope with the actuality of last Tuesday’s election.
I originally planned to return today with a post I’ve been working on for a bit: A Weekend in Paris. I love Paris and after visiting a few times over the past couple years, I’ve come to realize it’s one of my favorite cities…..and I don’t do cities.
But here’s the thing: I just can’t slap my Paris post up on my blog and move on, pretending like our new President-elect doesn’t matter to me, that he doesn’t affect me or my lifestyle. I can’t pretend everything is business as usual when in fact, it’s just the opposite. Pretending to do or feel any other way is simply trite and untrue. I’m devastated; heart broken; embarrassed; disappointed; and scared.
Near as I can tell from my Facebook feed {the current beacon of all insanity}, those emotions may label me a “crybaby” or a “sore loser” by many. That’s okay. I’m concerned about the behaviors that this election has condoned and I’ll be damned if I cower on my own blog from the angry comments I may or may not receive. I realize many of my readers may not agree with my political inclinations and I’m not here to discuss who is right or wrong or why we all chose to vote the way that we did {or didn’t, as apparently is the case for millions of Americans.} What happened happened and I’m working on understanding how I can best move forward and make a difference in my own way.
PC: Will Rochfort
As I said in my Facebook post above, this site is first-and-foremost a place for all of us to share a love for the outdoors. That will continue. But I will also strive to help protect the places I hold dear to my heart, regardless of how popular those opinions may be to the upcoming administration. I can’t predict what the President-elect will actually do, but a denial of climate change, a desire to renegotiate and/or leave the Paris Agreement, and a vow to scrap the Clean Power Plan have all been on the table during his campaign. And none of that sounds great for Mother Nature.
My friend Beth once wrote that, “The night is dark and full of sparkles.” For environmentalists and outdoor-lovers, the future is very uncertain right now. But I’m pretty sure we can all find our sparkles: do something. Give yourself some time to mope, accept the conclusion, and do something. Volunteer your time in local elections; donate monthly allocations to organizations that support the environment; speak to someone different than you while on the trail. If we all work together, I’m pretty positive we can figure out a way to get through this.
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