Let's Talk

When this whole ‘zombie apocalypse’ first went down I was in a bit of disbelief. Like all of you, I have many mixed emotions about the state of our current world. The first two weeks were relatively easy for me, as I was still busy with work; Starbucks remained opened, and most people seemed to be doing okay. Even on the days when things happen to be slower, I still get up at 4 or 4:30am and workout. I knew it would be important to stick to my normal schedule as everything else seemed to be spinning out of control. I am being honest when I say not even for a minute did I fear getting Covid 19. I am not really the type of person to ever fear anything when it comes to myself. I had moments when I was sad to think I could be a carrier, but I was cautious, and I knew that all I could do was my best with the information provided.

In any difficult situation there is always a lesson to be had, and sometimes there are many. Something I noticed almost immediately was the division in humanity. Here we were an already divided nation with yet one more thing to expand the rift. It started off with those who seemed to be quite scared about the disease versus those that appeared to not be taking it seriously. The passive aggressive “Stay home” comments started almost immediately. Follow that with the “I stay home for ___” posts. If I am honest, which I always am, it really started to bother me. There was so much judgment, so I did what I do best, and went right into my turtle shell hahaha. That is what I call it when I cannot stand the drama or negativity in the world. I hide. I run. Then I started getting angry, annoyed, and then wait for it…. yes, I started to get uncomfortable. I felt weird, awkward, and alone. My opinion went against what seemed to be popular, so I told myself my feelings must not be “right.” Well that is the furthest thing from the truth, and if anyone knows what it is like to be the lone wolf, I assure you, it is me LOL.  

Something that has really bothered me over the years has been the noticeable division amongst people of differing political opinions. I know that the world has always been this way, but Social Media and having so much access at our fingertips has certainly exacerbated the problem. This is where it started to get interesting for me; this is where I needed to realize what was causing me to feel extremely uncomfortable. The thing is …this is not the first time I felt this way. What was causing this feeling? I took a deep dive, and after looking inward, I saw a glaring truth looking back at me. I was scared and uncomfortable to realize that if I owned MY truth in every way, some people would not like me. I realized I have been censoring myself to make others comfortable because we are living in a society where you actually have to fear for your life at times, especially when you don’t just follow the crowd. Even certain friends and family may distance themselves from you if you choose to embrace parts of yourself that don’t align with their beliefs. We all do this. We cling to those who think the way we do, and we tell ourselves that those who don’t follow the crowd are wrong. I am not going to sit here and say I am a very political person because I am not, but for the sake of a strong example, I will use our current circumstances. If ever there was a time of great divide, it is now. The hatred of Donald Trump is one for the books. I remember watching Kanye West on Netflix. David Letterman was interviewing Kanye. When asked about wearing a MAGA hat he responded, “This is my thing with Trump. We don’t have to feel the same way, but we have the right to feel what we feel, and we have the right to have a conversation, a dialogue, not a diatribe about it.” As human beings living in a free country, it is our fundamental right to be able to vote for the elected officials we wish to represent us, and the fact that we are so quick to divide ourselves without even a conversation is incredibly sad. The assumption that someone is racist or a bigot because they vote for someone is insane. If you didn’t vote for Obama you are racist, if you voted for Trump you are racist, if you didn’t vote for Hilary you don’t believe in woman empowerment, and the list goes on. Not even religion has so greatly divided this country. Kanye’s point was that his conservative friends are scared to own their truth. It is a disgrace that all over this great nation people think they have the right to revert to violence because someone is wearing a hat. I think we can all admit this has never happened with any other president in most of our lifetimes. Conservative, liberal, libertarian, republican, democrat or a mix of all of them, you should feel ok to own your truth, and be proud of who you are. It doesn’t matter what you are registered as, you are NOT your political affiliation. This blog is because I want you to LOVE who YOU are, and I want you to own YOUR truth, and I want you to be ok with losing people along the way because in no way do I want you to ever hold back who you are, and if you do then you’re only losing yourself.

I feel like I am not a judgmental person at all, and have been told so on numerous occasions. I love learning about other people, and what makes them do the things they do, feel the way they do, and think the things they think. I am always open for a great discussion. I want us to all catch ourselves if we find ourselves judging someone else based on who they voted for or how they feel about our current situation. I personally don’t think we should have to stay locked inside any longer. We did what we needed to do in order to slow down the spread, but it’s time to get back to work. This is where I pause, and let you know that if you are scared, and think you are helping by staying inside, then by all means, stay inside! That is the beauty in living in the United States ofAmerica; it is freedom!! We get to think, speak, and worship freely (or at least we used to).

I am coming out of this quarantine more grateful then I ever could have imagined. I am so grateful to the people who literally sacrificed their lives, so we could be free. Look at the Chinese Communist Government. The way these leaders treat their own people is horrifying. I really do encourage you to look into what it actually means to be a part of a communist or socialist country. I want you to ask yourself why the people in Hong Kong, and Cuba wave the American Flag as they protest communism.

I am so proud to be an American, and I do not mean that in an arrogant way, at all! I love that this country is made up of every race, religion, and ethnicity. I love that we get to have an opinion, and that we can choose who we want to represent us. I love that we live in a competitive environment that encourages freethinking and entrepreneurship. We get to chase our dreams and go after the life we want to create for ourselves, and our families. Seeing our flag whipping in the wind has new meaning for me. My “new normal” has nothing to do with social distancing or wearing a mask. My new normal is being proud of who I am no matter what it brings. My new normal is standing up when it may feel easier to be silent. My new normal is making less assumptions and asking more questions. My new normal is creating a more unified country. This is our country. These politicians work for us. We don’t owe them anything. They owe us.

This week, and every week I challenge us to ask more questions, and make less judgments. We the people are in this together.

“My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular.” -Adlai Stevenson

‍

To Be Continued……

All My Love,

Reenie

‍

‍