I still don’t have the Zen mind, the calm and maturity I seek in my outlook on life. Having emotion, but funneling it correctly. I lashed out last night after discovering the results on my city’s message boards in an immature fashion.
Some GLBT Texans shrugged it off perhaps, said “who’s surprised and what really changes?” and went on. Others I’m sure were even more devastated than I was. We simply need to regain our balance, our outlook on life. Not blindly accept the fact of this vote and ignore it, but process it and continue to work towards our goals.
For me, it was a song off the latest Erasure album, Nightbird, called Breathe. Something in the words and the harmony are strong and simple and pull at me. I pulled into the parking garage this morning, rolled down all the windows and sunroof, turned the volume on my stereo to maximum (ok I can never fuss at you again Ian for turning it up too much!) and closed my eyes and listened to the song. It may sound odd, or even unrealistic that a song can negate yesterday. But it did it for me, or at least gave me that bit of energy to move on and keep working towards a better tomorrow. We still have all the things we had yesterday morning, our family, our friends, our careers, our hobbies and our time and energy to contribute to good causes.
So, find something to make you smile today, get up, go to work and do a good job and be a good person. In the end we’ll make things right.
Nice post. For me, I’m pouring over the figures from various counties and statewide votes, and have found solace in the fact that the neo-cons in Collin County failed to get a vote higher than the statewide average
In fact, Denton, Dallas and Collin Counties were all below average 
November 9, 2005 @ 10:35 amNow Upshur County - where a certain set of in-laws live, that is a different story. (Answer: 23.85% of the voting population voted, 92% in favor; 8% against.) The turkey better be freakin’ good this year!
I did the same thing today. I just took a minute to look at myself and realize that nothing has changed for me and my partner but we cant just shrug and give up. Its not over yet.
November 9, 2005 @ 11:41 pmI’m sorry it turned out like it did. I think to amend any Constitution to restrict rights for a certain group of people flies in the face of what a Constitution is. The TX Constitution has been amended over 400 times–nothing says “weak document” like a bazillion amendments. So don’t give up hope–this amendment could be overturned by a future amendment! Oh, and if I thought you’d have your sense of humor back by now, I might say something about your blaring Erasure from your car stereo. The fact that you chose “Breathe” (btw, love it–I’ve been known to listen to that one song all the way to work) and not something from, say NIN or Rage, could be used as proof in a court of law that you really are gay!
November 11, 2005 @ 4:48 pmHa!
Too true. It was a very apt choice for me. I wonder if music preference is admissible in a court of law?
November 17, 2005 @ 11:14 pm