It came almost as a surprise to me that I was not alone in my devastation about the US election in which a noted bigot was elected. The support by so many ignorant people struck a chord with the entire world. And in response, Women's Marches were coordinated around the globe to protest the insanity.
This weekend was certainly historic, and I was proud to have been a part of it - I needed to be part of it. As moved as I was to March, and as moved as I am to see this world wide effort, though, I do have some sobering thoughts. Thoughts that keep me up at night and to which I awake in tears in the morning.
Right now, one thing I'm struggling with is timing. Why were not able to rally like this before the election, and put forth a candidate who would move our government forward - away from the lobbying of big business and to the grass roots efforts to work for all people, as well as for our global community and this precious planet on which we dwell? Are we going to continue to stand together and defend the rights of all?
Change is hard, and maybe these next four years were inevitable as a nation struggles to find its place in a new global community. I hope we pull through. We have a long, hard road ahead of us.
I am not an activist. I, admittedly, do not usually pay that much attention to politics in general. But this was different. This was personal. And because it was personal, I needed to do something in a way that I had never needed to do anything before. I needed to feel that I was not powerless, the way the election had made me feel; that I was not invisible, as the election had made me feel; that I was not inconsequential, as the election had made me feel. So, by myself, I headed to Copenhagen in order to participate in one of the hundreds of Women's Marches across the Globe.
I may have flown by myself to Copenhagen to take part in this event, but as soon as I approached the starting point, I met some amazing people, and together we marched for a common cause. Taking part in a global movement gave my soul some comfort - I was not alone in my feelings, and we can make it better by standing together and making ourselves heard.
I am proud to say that I am not the only member of my family to have Marched on this day - we actually had representation around the world: Copenhagen, Vienna, Dallas, San Francisco
