I used to write here regularly. All through the late ’90s and through much of the 2000s, I posted somewhere between a few times a week to a few times a day. But then a series of life changes, including going back to school for my Associate, Bachelor, and Masters degrees, getting married and spending more time with my partner and less in front of my computer, and the rise of social media with the ease of tossing off a few sentences and hitting the “share” button, took their toll.
But I think it’s time to come back here. There are a host of factors contributing to this, including wanting to do more to ensure that content I create is under my own control rather than locked behind Facebook’s walls and subject to their whims. But also in there is the recent election, which has results that I have many, many problems with. And finally, this essay from Sarah Kendzior: We’re heading into dark times. This is how to be your own light in the Age of Trump.
My fellow Americans, I have a favor to ask you.
Today is November 18, 2016. I want you to write about who you are, what you have experienced, and what you have endured.
Write down what you value; what standards you hold for yourself and for others. Write about your dreams for the future and your hopes for your children. Write about the struggle of your ancestors and how the hardship they overcame shaped the person you are today.
Write your biography, write down your memories. Because if you do not do it now, you may forget.
Write a list of things you would never do. Because it is possible that in the next year, you will do them.
Write a list of things you would never believe. Because it is possible that in the next year, you will either believe them or be forced to say you believe them.
I need to follow her advice. For myself, for my family and friends, for those I care about, and for all those who I don’t know, but who I believe in and who I will stand up for.
It won’t always be easy, and it may take some time for me to really get into the routine again. But to me, this is important.
I will not be silent.