Yes, Virginia, Sometimes Rose Colored Glasses Are A Good Thing

In politics, as in most areas of life, "you win some, you lose some."

Whether Tuesday night will find you cheering or crying in your beer, I'd like to offer up an alternative to the gloat or mope parade that is coming.

I admit, this election season has had everything in me pushing my fingers towards the keyboard to rant, to vent, to prognosticate.  I know what I want to get out, what I want to say.  But often I have made myself do other things instead.  I run errands, and I think.  I make flarfs, and I think.  I paint, and I think.  I pack a box for one of my kids, and I think.

And in thinking, I calm down, albeit temporarily, and I refocus on something I firmly believe.

Regardless of which side of the aisle champions your causes; no matter who you cast your ballot for; whether you "win" or "lose" - you are more than a bumper sticker.  The people I may not agree with politically are more than adversaries, people who see the world differently.  Just as I am not one thing or one issue - neither are they.  We are all complex.  I may not agree with someone's views, but that's not all a person is.

They are mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, daughters, sons, grandparents, friends.

And while this season has seen some true ugliness come forth; seen relationships ended over personal biases revealed; and the worst traits of certain humans unleashed, encouraged even, the dust is going to eventually settle.

As I always told the kids when they were referees: on a soccer field (come on, you didn't think we'd get through this without a soccer analogy, did you?), regardless of the call made by the ref, 50% of the people on and around the field are immediately pissed off and feel wronged.

But life goes on after the whistle.

Just as this country will continue to churn along.  People will go to work, look for work, enlist, go to plays, concerts, soccer games.  People will cut their grass, shovel their snow, vacation, get root canals and Botox, have heart attacks and live, have strokes and die, and they will welcome their families in for the holidays.

THAT is what helped me refocus this morning.

I started thinking about our yearly Yes, Virginia campaign to help keep Santa alive in so many homes where Christmas spirit was a candle ready to go unlit.

And in thinking back over the time we have been doing this, it dawned on me:  Not once in nine years have you asked who your dollars have gone to help.  And not once have I ever even contemplated the voting record of the parents who reach out for our assistance.

Because it doesn't matter.

When the chips are down, we come together.  It is that simple. 

I don't care if I am elfing for someone who votes red or blue.  I care only that someone is hurting in a profound way and has asked for help. 

I care that we have kept electricity on, provided Christmas dinners, bought beds for those who had none, shoes for bare feet, winter coats to keep kids and parents warm, pet food for hungry furry family members.  I care that we rally every time this year and manage to create smiles - not just on the little children's faces, but on the faces of their parents whose hearts had been dying at the thought of trying to explain why Santa couldn't come.

I care about what happens on Tuesday, trust me, I do.  But it will happen, and be a bell we cannot unring.  I am well aware of the challenges and even the dangers ahead, but my hope is that those who feel like "winners" on Tuesday will eventually remember that there are just as many people who "lost" who feel every bit as invested in this country as are they.  And I pray that those who find themselves involved in the governance of this country will remember that they are there to help everyone, regardless of red or blue.

Just like we here at DGMS do every year at this time.

Rose colored glasses?  Maybe.  But sometimes, that's not a bad thing at all. 

I think I'll go with candy cane colored glasses.  :)

Give if you can - the Yes, Virginia link is open - and the good feelings are free.

Comments

[nikki in ny]

Hopefully everything will calm down in the next few days. The US has weathered terrible events and survived. I imagine the US will still be here in 4 years when people can try again if their candidate did not win this time. It sure has been trying though.