ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

....is a pair of rose colored glasses.

And through those rose colored glasses I’ll be able to see our country as it once was.  Fully committed to its democracy.  And not just ANY democracy.  But THE democracy.  THAT very elegant democracy which has been the standard for countries who want the benefits and boundaries we have known and valued for all these many years.

But without those rose colored glasses, I’m scared to take even a tiny peek around the edges.  I fear for what I may see.  What I might find.

And, yes, I know that’s a politically charged statement.  And I’ve not wanted to “go there” but my feelings can’t be ignored this time.  Put simply: I am afraid.

Until just recently, I was pretty sure I’d be dead and gone before anything permanent or totally disastrous happened to our country.  I was mainly concerned about our children and theirs.  But things are moving so fast that I can no longer dismiss the possibility that I, too, may live to see the collapse of our democracy.   Of our country. Of our constitution and our way of life. To think those words, let alone put them in writing, is unimaginably sad. It’s also incomprehensible. 

But there. I said it.  And with no regard for the consequences for this little space. I don’t know if this is something you wanted to read on a Sunday morning.  That’s for you to decide.  All I know is that I needed to say it.