This "Toupee" Shall Pass: Diversion Technique #2

President Trump has been our reality for six weeks. Somehow it feels longer, but it also serves as another reminder of how quickly time goes by. It is now March, which means that I have not yet been successful at slowing down time. That concept, however, is a whole separate tangent. Still the focus of this edition of diversion technique or "This 'Toupee' Shall Pass" is: Exploration.

One of my favorite authors, Gretchen Rubin, recently reminded me that "...people who do new things -- learn a game, travel to unfamiliar places -- are happier than people who stick to familiar activities that they already do well." I think it is easy to believe that the only way to accomplish this goal is by planning a trip to some new destination; but there are so many other ways to find joy right in your own area.

This point was reinforced of by someone I have known since elementary school whom I live vicariously through on Facebook as she is quite the globe trotter. She has spent much of 2017 in Tokyo with a few side trips to other Asian countries. A number of people started messaging her after the election about how much they enjoy her travel posts/photos because they are a nice distraction (diversion!). She went onto remind us all that we can post non-political things too, including something like finding joy in a cup of coffee and sharing it through social media. We don't need to be on the other side of the Pacific Ocean to do that. Thanks, Valerie!

While I do revel in having someone ask me, "where are you going now?" after posting some silly airport experience (usually a result of morning brain) because I do enjoy traveling. Yet, I  also take great pleasure in being a tourist in Denver. I have lived here for almost 10 years (in May), and I am still finding new and interesting things to do. For instance, so far this year Danny and I have tried: the National Western Stock Show; a Monster Jam truck rally; and "Thank you for being a friend. In drag," The Golden Girls (now that was a hoot, especially the guy who played Dorothy). This weekend, the docket includes Frozen Dead Guy Days.  Please note that most of these things are done using some kind of discount offering - Groupon, Goldstar, etc. are worth subscribing to, or at least checking before you buy full priced tickets.

Yet, I also like to be a tourist in other places whenever possible. Working for a national organization means that I travel for work with some regularity. I often go sight-seeing on my own dime, even if it means coming in a day early. An example would be my side trips in Boston last week - Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum and the JFK Presidential Library and Museum were crammed in before my meetings started on Sunday. It was fun to see that my parents took advantage of the opportunity to come into Cleveland a day early to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as they were picking up my sister and her boyfriend en route to visit our family in Baltimore for Christmas. My in-laws also jumped at the chance to continue on to Quebec City after joining Danny and me on our Cleveland leg of our east coast baseball adventures of 2016. As an aside, the four of us all enjoyed Cleveland more than we would initially thought. A lot can be done in 36 hours visiting, "the mistake on the lake."

It's always fun to think about what's possible. In fact, I have read that adventures create a trifecta of happiness: the planning/anticipation, the doing, and the memories after the fact. Let's be honest, I may take more pleasure in the first part (the planning) than most; but this may prove that others enjoy it too. 

I hope you will think about living out the quote from the Dalai Lama: "Once a year, go someplace you've never been before." I used this quote on the back of our photo book for 2016 because I took pride that Danny and I had accomplished it. And if you do it, I would encourage you to send yourself a postcard about it; in an effort not to forget what all went into this year, we made a conscious effort to document our fun through postcards.

Have fun, the year is still young!

Why I Chose to March

It is estimated that 3.2 million people joined in Women's Marches around the United States, with more than a quarter million participating in solidarity around the world. Even though we will never know the actual figure, there were a lot of people troubled by the current state of our government. Two weekends later, I am still thinking about why I decided to participate. So here goes...

• As a woman of faith I take Luke 12:48 very seriously: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." I have worked hard as an adult to put a roof over my own head, provide for my family, and go to graduate school. I would be terribly remiss, however, in not acknowledging all that I have been blessed with and the riches that have been shared with me to provide me so many opportunities. My parents and extended family ensured that I never went without, was provided a quality education including a bachelor's Degree, and even straight teeth (braces are not cheap). Plus as a woman especially, I am grateful that I live in a country where I can do what I want, when I want. Not everyone in this world can say that, even in 2017. All this is to say not everyone, even someone born in this country, is as fortunate. I feel a sense of responsibility to help those around me, due in large part to what has been given to me. Is this system perfect? Absolutely not; but it is the system we have and we must work within it to help those in need.

• I have availed myself of the many services that Planned Parenthood has to offer women. I went to a clinic in college when I was trying to figure out "how to be an adult;" but I did not understand health insurance nor did I have a gynecologist to help diagnose what was causing problems below the waist. Sadly this organization has become predominately associated with providing abortions, but let's be clear that only  3% of their overall services are abortions.

• I think Betsy DeVos is wildly unqualified to be the Secretary of Education. Even though I may no longer be a teacher, I still have serious concerns about the education system in this country. I truly believe we are falling short of preparing our future generations, and the appointment of such an inappropriate candidate shows that President Trump is not attuned to the need for education reform. 

• After graduating from college I was having trouble finding employment that provided me with access to or enough compensation to afford health insurance. I went nearly two years without health insurance. I was very fortunate that I did not require any serious medical care, or have a pre-existing condition that would require on-going care. The Affordable Care Act allowed minors to stay on their parents' insurance up until age 26. If this had been an option for me, it would have sustained me until my current position that provided benefits. The repeal of the ACA without a viable replacement is unconscionable. 

• I believe that global warming is a real phenomenon that requires the full attention of the EPA among other organizations, as well as the full attention of each person. I have serious concerns about the world we will be leaving for future generations if we continue to ignore the impact of our dependence on fossil fuels, and our consumptive nature as a society.

• Finally, I believe that the millions of people around the country who participated in marches in their respected locations were availing themselves of the right given all Americans by the First Amendment to the Constitution, which allows for peaceable assembly and free speech (along with airing our grievances, freedom of RELIGION - all religions, and freedom of the press). I fear many have lost sight of the fact that the Bill of Rights is comprised of the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, not just the second one that allows people to bear arms.

Even though I have more personal reasons why I chose to participate, this is all that I feel is fit to print. As it is I  I cannot speak for anyone else who participated in a march, nor do I think that everyone who opposes them feels the same way. At the end of the day, I hope we can remember in tense situations such as this that neither side is all about "you" nor "me."

This "Toupee" Shall Pass: Diversion Technique #1

https://flic.kr/p/71rzKV

Today, a week after the inauguration of this country's 45th President, Donald J. Trump, I find myself anxious, pissed off, scared, and really all the negative feels. I cannot possibly stay in this mental state for four years, so I need to work on a diversion technique. More than one really, but in the short-term this is what I have come up: "This 'Toupee' Shall Pass" blog series. Every couple weeks or so, I hope to provide myself, and possibly others if you have read this far, an idea of how to take your mind off the current political landscape.

Before I explain my first idea, I want to explain the overarching concept of this series. Last weekend, my sister and I joined more than 200,000 of our closest friends in the Women's March on Denver. One of many marches that took place across the country and around the world. More on that event later; but the phrase, "This 'Toupee' Shall Pass" came from a sign that I saw at the March. The expression really struck me, I think due to a combination of my faith, as well as my love of history. After I stopped laughing at the play on words, I felt a strange sense of momentary peace. I need to believe that the framer's of the Constitution, especially perhaps my man James Madison built a system of checks and balances intended to safeguard the people from a single leader. The Executive Branch (the President) is actually the weakest branch of the three by design. I can only hope that the Legislative (Congress) Branch does their job by holding the President in check and meeting the needs of their constituency, many of which did not vote for President Trump.

Now where did my diversion idea for this week (and this whole series, really) comes from? It actually goes back to the fact that I am continuing a New Year's Resolution that I started in 2016 (and actually kept), which is to explore one new restaurant and one new activity/place per month for the whole year. Since I enjoyed it so much, I continued into 2017. The new activity for this month was to finally attend the National Western Stock Show as it is a HUGE deal here in Denver. Groupon provided cheap tickets for Thursday night's rodeo, so we decided to give it a try. After eating wildly unhealthy food: a bacon wrapped hot dog, a deep fried Twinkie (!!), and s'more flavored mini-donuts, we took our seats for the main event. After being totally confused watching cowboys compete in bareback riding and saddle bronc riding, out came a little kid riding a sheep also known as Mutton Bustin' . And then it happened again and again... as there were many little kids who had won their age specific tournament. At the end of the event they were each given a trophy that was definitely taller than most of those kids, and probably taller than me. I truly laughed so hard that I was crying. After seeing how much fun I was having, Danny told me I needed to document this on the blog. He believed that I could come up with a bunch of ideas to help me think about something else. Secretly, I think he just wanted to get me to start blogging again - be careful what you wish for, JDP!

If you find yourself frustrated, scared, etc. I highly recommend watching YouTube videos on Mutton Bustin' - just avoid the ones that talk about the bad things that can happen when you mix a kid under 55 pounds and a sheep. Nobody wants to see that - it won't help.

Until next week, let's keep our chins up, and if you feel so inclined write your representatives to share how you feel (support or dissenting opinions). Everyone is entitled to their own thoughts and feelings, but expressing those opinions in a constructive, non-judgmental manner is the only way the American Democracy can work and thrive.