Time for grieving?

Maybe I am an old coot-ess but I have been around the block a few times and have seen quite a few disappointing election outcomes.  I have noticed, as far as day to day life goes, not much changes.  Then, as the pictures of the mostly young people went through my mind, I realized that I was getting caught up in their contagious anger.

Since the events of  November 8 came (2016) to pass, the media keep bombarding me with videos showing such chaos in the streets that I want to yell  "calm down people and just accept the outcome as the democratic process!"

Suddenly, I remembered what I have read about acceptance.  It is the final stage of grief. "Hey", I thought, "these people are grieving!"  Grieving is usually associated with the death of a loved one.  But I have been told that grief can come with any loss.


I recalled the 5 stages of grief.  They are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. In  my opinion, this trouble is a classic case of grieving.  The denial came the day after the election when some crowds carried signs and cried "not MY president".  Next I saw anger the when I saw the image of someone image beating the heck out of some sign or something.  The bargaining stage could seen as the call by some to oust the electoral college.  I saw depression when I saw some US flags at half mast. Yes, I am seeing acceptance too. Its only a matter of time before people see that this is NOT Armageddon, neither is it the end of America as we know it.


Before one accepts, one must grieve. This process comes and goes quickly for some, more slowly for others, but it will pass. Life will soon get back to the sometimes boring, sometimes painful, sometimes joyful, normality of life.  And in four years, if the real Armageddon doesn't come, we will have another chance to get what we want.

The Call of Isolation

Isolation is constantly calling to me. Like a black hole in space, it tries to suck me in.  Events in my childhood taught me that isolating myself was safe, being around people was not. Not unlike alcohol to the alcoholic, isolation was the solution to all my problems
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Isolation  is a hard demon to beat because it can be  very empowering. I lived happily lived in isolation for decades. It is a luxury that not everyone can afford. I could come and go where I wanted, when the mood struck me. I could be my own boss and work (or not) from home, choosing my own hours, nobody complained when I took rest breaks. My house was always relatively clean and I got very skillful at crafts. If I made a mistake, I could easily forgive myself.  Me and my cats got along splendidly. But I was basically alone in my fortress.

I always had access to a car, but I didn't drive unless I had to.  On the rare occasions when I had go out, the thought of driving terrified me.  My heart would race and I'd grip the steering wheel til my   knuckles turned white.  

I'm much better now. I drive without as much fear, I even quietly cuss out cars and trucks that get in my way, just like a normal person!

I have not gotten completely away from the pull of isolation.  My motto is progress not perfection. For now I'll take cussing traffic as a good thing.

With the help of new found friends, I realized that I was actually imprisoning myself. I  "lived my life in chains, and I never even knew I had the key"*

                                           *this is a line from an old Eagles song, titled Already Gone (I think).