Getting Back to Your Comments: I Can't Sit Idly By

"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." J.R.R Tolkien

I launched this blog site just two weeks ago, and I'm truly amazed by the number of readers who have already visited. Thank you. I am humbled and eager to be responsive to you. As you know, I'm new to this, so I haven't established a regular schedule for new posts yet. That will develop over time. Additionally, I'm working on setting up a system for you to receive notifications when a new post is published. This will happen, but not quite yet!

I've already started receiving important questions and comments through the Get in Touch form. Thank you! I'm currently developing several posts based on your feedback. Stay tuned, they're on the way!

Thus, Today, I chose to write in response to your inquiries about WHY I started this blog. It's a great question! At this stage of life, my world is very full. However, energy levels aren't what they used to be when I was younger, so I need to pace myself. Why take on this task? Simply put, I can't just sit back and do nothing! Stay with me as I talk about why "I just can't sit idly by!"

We are living in extraordinary times. We all know this and experience it in different ways.

• Some of us are thrilled. We wanted change and we are getting it. Finally.

• Some of us are horrified. We see the dismantling of our government at light speed and are alarmed at how we are causing harm and alienating ourselves from our friends and the most vulnerable, both within our nation and globally.

• Some of us are watching all that is happening and feel sick, confused, and weirdly responsible.

I grasp this from what I read and watch in the news, through conversations with friends, family, colleagues, in my neighborhood, and at church events, but most significantly, because of my personal experiences.

For those who follow me on Facebook, you may have noticed several posts from me over the past year as I navigated the pre-election process. Throughout the year, I strongly encouraged everyone to research, read, listen, and focus on the issues, skills, and ethics of our candidates. After the election and especially SINCE the Inauguration, I began receiving private emails and messenger chats from what has amounted to several hundred people wanting 'to talk' about what was happening in our country. As the weeks passed, this only increased. I knew I needed to pay attention.

These are private conversations that I will keep confidential, but many people have expressed similar deep concerns about the state of the country, and many, frankly, regret their votes. As I listened to them, I found recurring themes of regret, fear, and hopelessness. These voters are dear, sensitive individuals who now observe what is happening and feel both remorseful and betrayed. How did they overlook what was going to occur?

"I didn’t vote for what is happening. Yes, I wanted change, but not like this."

I get it. Voters cast their votes, or should, beyond the boundaries of their party affiliation. Our aim in voting is to bring about a vision for our nation. However, when this vision is implemented and turns into something disturbing and not what we envisioned, our reactions can vary widely, ranging from "I told you so" to "buyer's remorse" to "outright rage."

And here we all are. We voted. We now have a new administration, whose actions have raised grave concerns. What actions can we take???

While feeling the need "to do something," I also very much understand from those of you who have written to me that the stakes are very high in the communities where you live. Many fear negative reactions and shunning from loved ones if their voting choices or regrets are revealed.

This situation is isolating and further polarizes our nation.

We are a people who are struggling with deep deep concern over our country:

• Some are frozen, afraid to speak out due to consequences

• Some are speaking out, overwhelmed by the enormity of the task

• Some feel helpless and uncertain of what to do

And while I have empathy for these positions, I also want to scream from the rooftops: We cannot afford to wait; we must address our voting choices and move forward, and do it now.

ALL OF US ARE PART OF THE OUTCOME OF WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR COUNTRY.

This leads me to the decision to write this blog. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing! I believe none of us can afford to simply wait and see what unfolds. There's too much on the line.

SO, I took the plunge to create a blog site where we pause to reflect, find hope, to encourage each other, and to responsibly act. 

It is crucial to be truthful about our choices, how we make them, and how we live them out. Sometimes, we make the best decision we can at the time, and then later have different information or behaviors that helps us realize we now need to act in a different way. Growth comes from reassessing decisions as new information emerges.

Join me. Slow it down. THINK. Reflect. Stretch. Be courageous. Choose to act.

Each voice is important.

Each voice needs to feel, contribute, and help us move towards each other.

No one should feel they are not safe to speak their truth.

No one should be afraid of having civil discourse.

No one should be afraid of losing their freedom, their income, their home, their livelihood, their family.

No one should feel such embarrassment to be an American.

We are better than what we are showing to our children, each other and our world.

BE WELL. BREATHE. REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE.