Why, oh why didn't I take the blue pill?

SusanD shares the following reflections...

When Howard Dean said, "You have the power", I said, "Gee...he's right!"

What I didn't know then was that "having the power" can also feel like a burden. Having the power means taking responsibility, showing up, taking action. Sometimes that responsibility can be a heavier weight than we feel up to bearing. But, like Neo taking the red pill, I can't live in a dream world anymore, thinking that politics is something that happens outside the boundaries of my life. I have to confess I sometimes wish I were still in that dream world. It's hard enough to deal with daily life, paying bills, working, problems with children, health issues. Do any of us need to add things to worry about?

I had thought that in retirement I'd be making quilts, reading, cooking...just relaxing and enjoying life. I do all that, but I didn't count on adding on attending meetings and rallies, marching in peace demonstrations, doing mailings, fund-raising, visibility and precinct walking. Those things stress me out. I don't like doing them. I can't sit on the sidelines anymore because, thanks to Howard Dean, I woke up. Sometimes the sidelines look mighty appealing. But I took the red pill, and there's no going back.

Is there?

SusanD


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