Pussy Hats and Possibilities

I want to help make the world a better place...but I'm fundamentally lazy. So there's very little chance that I would have gone to the Women's March in St. Paul last weekend if I had to deal with the inconveniences of transport and parking. (In my defense, I have an extremely underdeveloped sense of direction, so who knows where I would have ended up).

But luckily for me, I have a friend from church who had a parking space in St. Paul and offered to drive people in her van. All I had to do was show up at her house, just a 15 minute drive from me, at her house at 9:15 a.m.

So I got to go to the March.

Actually, it was more of a slow amble, because there were so many people who were there...which was amazing. Almost 100,000 people showed up (only 20,000 were expected) and it was positive, and calm, and well-organized, and funny (some really creative and hilarious signs), and inspiring and empowering.

So many infuriating, frightening, maddening, and discouraging things have happened in Trump's first week in office, that it's hard to believe it's just been a week since the Women's March. I don't know what happens next, for the movement, for our country, or for me as a person. I don't have any plans yet for what I'm going to do on an individual level to respond to all the horrible attacks on our nation's freedoms and our conscience and what feels like our very soul. It's likely that I'll just give some more money to organizations who are fighting the good fight like Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, wear a pink pussy hat that my sister makes for me, and like anti-Trump posts on Facebook. (I'm not saying this is all I can or should do, I'm just trying to keep it real).

But I don't want to forget the feeling of community and possibility that I felt during the march. I want to carry that feeling with me for the next four years and beyond (but hopefully I won't need it as inspiration to counter a Trump presidency for more than four years).

I was doubly blessed to not only feel the community of others who wanted to try and stand up for an America where we are stronger together, but also to feel the community of being a Unitarian Univeralist. Our faith community has a long tradition of social justice, so it's not surprising there were so many UUs at the St. Paul March. And thanks to our super organized driver and leader Katie, we had our traditional yellow "Standing on the Side of Love" signs. Not only is this just a lovely and beautiful message, but it was easily recognizable to other UU's and even those just familiar with UU's and our collective social justice work. Rooted in my Unitarian Univeralist tradition I felt proud and connected to something much bigger and bolder than myself.

The Michael Servetus Unitarian Society posse at the Women's March in St. Paul 

The only hardships I had to contend with during the march were icy sidewalks, damp weather...and my hangover. It was the day after the "American Carnage" inauguration, what else could be expected? Honestly, I was so sick in the middle of the night that I suspect that my distress wasn't only caused by alcohol. But the likelihood that it was even partially caused by my bad alcohol consumption choices meant that I could NOT miss the march. I just could not lived with myself if I missed the march because I was a dumbass who drank too much the night before. (I may be a dumbass, but I'm a tough dumbass).

No one could see it under my coat,
but I wore my Wonder Woman to
feel mighty

My only regret about the March is that I didn't know about the pussy hat phenomenon before the march. And yes, I DO think they are a shout out to women's lady parts as well as kitties and I love both those interpretations. If my super talented sister is able to make one for me, I'll wear it through June.  And they are hot pink! Apparently wearing pink has become a sign of protest, and that's definitely something I can get behind. If dressing like a three year old stereotypical girlie girl can bring down the patriarchy, I have that line of attack covered.

Time to get out my credit card and get on ModCloth....

AND I wore Captain America socks
 on Inauguration Day