Early this morning I posted this on Facebook. I know it might cause some friends to unfollow, unfriend or just think differently of me. My mom is here and said she doesn't care what anyone thinks. I wish I could be like that, but it's not who I am. Maybe when/if I reach the age of 92 I will be like her. Do my own detriment, I care what people think, even when we are separated by our own beliefs.
Here I am, posting on social media, the very thing that I feel has contributed in a large part to where we’re at as a country right now. And it’s not good. Throughout this election cycle, I have tried very hard to keep quiet on social media. I learned in 2020 that my opinions would not change others. I learned that I would lose friends for sharing my feelings and thoughts. I learned that I could become extremely angry, that I could feel ostracized, that I could feel alone on a platform even with so many friends and family around me.
Now that this election is over, if the opportunity arises where I feel my voice will make a difference, you will hear me loudly. I did what I could do this time in my own quiet way; encouraging people to vote, seeking to understand others viewpoints by asking polite questions. I found I rarely got answers. Shockingly, some of my Trump supporting friends could not really articulate why they were supporting him. In some cases, I could conclude that possibly they are ashamed of the reasons why they support him.
It is difficult for me to understand how we can see and hear the same things, but come away with completely different feelings about it.
Even as I write those words, I realize that it is due to the algorithms of social media. I recognize that my Trump supporting friends and family are not seeing the same feeds that I am seeing. They are not reading the same articles, they are not getting the same news. And I have known this for a while, so I go off of Facebook and search for my answers.
I come away believing that Donald Trump is a fascist, believing he is a racist and a misogynist. I believe that he will destroy our nation, tear down our constitution and divide us further and further. The saddest thing for me is also believing that his supporters already know this and don’t care. This is not patriotism. I am just so sad and disappointed this morning and worried for my children and my grandchildren. I am concerned that our plans to possibly retire in the next year or two could be ruined.For now, we still wake up every day and put one foot in front of the other - and breathe. I know life will go on and we will weather this storm. I know as a country, we will face this and get through it, and hopefully come out stronger, eventually. Whether my lifespan will be long enough for me to see it is a sad question to contemplate. I know I’m not alone in how I’m feeling today and that gives me strength.
I can also admit that it might not get as bad as I think it will. Project 2025 could turn out to be a hoax, Trump may not give cabinet positions to Elon Musk and RFK Junior. But the fact that he likely will and that it doesn’t seem to bother his supporters is mind shattering to me.
I am not a political genius, so those who know me well know that I do not engage in debates. I’m an introvert who likes to internalize my thoughts, and generally, I only share them with my closest, dearest friends.
I may start to share more things that I feel are important. If you love and respect me, maybe you’ll read them. If not, maybe you will scroll past them and just forgive me. Knowing that we are not all seeing the same things makes it even more important for us to share the things that we do see, the things that we do believe, and the things that we feel are important.
Today, of all days, I will not be complicit by silence. 
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