powerless

Wow, what a week! Nothing like a hurricane to take your mind off your troubles and the election. I guess I should say, add to your troubles considering the amount of people without power. A power outage is always kind of fun even romantic in the beginning. You build a fire, you play games, get close with your spouse, toast marshmallows or hot dogs. You know, do what families do when they aren't working or going to the grocery store every 5 seconds. Sitting in front of the neverending fire, holding my son while he fell asleep in my arms, I was just where I wanted to be. Three nights of that and my son's hair looked like a rat's nest by the fourth day causing me to look at him and wonder when he last had a bath. By that fourth day after dropping him at school again, still a dirtball, I was ready to fly the coop. My husband and I were so whacked out by the power outage, forgetting what day it was, we needed to come out of our hermit shelter and face our populace. One last fire, one last cup of coffee and we were off! Breakfast and visiting friends and family had us feeling like our old selves. Dinner out had me feeling my muffin top and thinking about that damn treadmill, so silent that it was. Upon coming home, we were greeted by the orange glow of my electric spider web, left on before it all went off. Ahh, cable tv, internet, HEAT. We are one spoiled population, let me tell you. So many people dealing with so much less and we worry about charging our phones. Well, we are a product of our environment, powerless. Now on the eve of this election I can't help but feel that way, knowing how much is at stake in this election. I know my husband and I will be voting first thing in the morning, even making a date out of it, but at the moment I just worry. I am doing my usual escapism today, cleaning, cooking, etc., but I worry and I pray. I pray for a better, nicer country, I pray for stability, and most of all I pray for our health and happiness. The last four years have been rough, new child, economic depression, job searches. Powerless, nothing we could do but let it ride. Waiting for progress to reach you is frustrating at best. I am hopeful and I never give up. I believe we can move forward and there is power waiting at the end of another 4 years. I believe that all my rights as a woman will not be jeopardized. I believe my husband will find that elusive full-time job in education and that my business will persevere.  For tonight I will think about our future knowing that in the morning I will be casting my vote with the rest of you. This one simple act of DOING SOMETHING gives us the power. Don't vote and you remain nothing but powerless. Good night world.