Better days are coming

 I don't think I have the words or energy to summarize what happened in Washington yesterday.  I think I will leave that for the historians because I have no doubt it will feature in the annals of dark days of the USA in the history books of the future.

I will try describe my personal experience and try put words around how I am feeling... First of all the morning, the growing, tentative, elation that Georgia had been won by the Democrats.  Then the afternoon, when at about 2.30pm Patrick texted me describing the situation in Washington.  "It's bad", he said.  My initial reaction was that I felt like crying. Anger, frustration and shame.  And fear.  How bad could this get?  Obviously anger and frustration primarily about that fucking idiot Trump.  But a lot of frustration with the authorities.  How was this allowed happen?  Why were they not better prepared? And shame, shame that one of the best countries in the world, and my adopted homeplace, had come to this.

We decided we would go out for the crabtraps after work.  A distraction.  Definitely needed...  It was awesome out there! Conditions were just right - not too flat to be boring, not too wild to be dangerous, but a little bit of a battle to be enough of a challenge.  Definitely needed...  And we scored big!  Caught about 10 crabs in total, throwing back 4 and bringing 6 claws (one monster sized) home.  An awesome day but still, always in the back of our minds we knew we were going home to face the toxicity on the tv and internet.

I didn't sleep great last night.  I tossed and turned and my mind raced all night.  I got up at 5.30am and drank coffee watching the sun start to light up the house, leaving for work around 6.30am.

This afternoon, I opened an email from my dad - who seems in good spirits even with all the covid restrictions going on in Ireland (lockdown 3), sharing news about the light sprinkling of snow (we are a family of weather nerds and love a bit of snow! lol). As usual, but even stronger than before, he urged to be careful about the situation: "keep your opinions to yourselves, no flags or bumper stickers".  I appreciate the sentiment..  Things are different here in Key West to bigger cities in the States, and we are little insulated, but still, like I said, I appreciate the sentiment - and the reminder.  It makes me sad though that that is one of the things he thinks about when thinking about my life over here.  Although he also said how lucky I am, out fishing and crabbing in January so it is not all bad!

And it IS not all bad! Patrick, always good for bringing levity to a sitution when I am feeling down made me LAUGH last night. Kaitlan Collins reporting from the White House told how people in Trump's cabinet were considering resigning.  She says " these are not lowly communications people, these are senior officials.  From the couch beside me I hear "Heeeeeeyyyy!  Harsh Kaitlan, harsh.  That hurt Kaitlan".  Ha! Lol.  He is so funny.  (Patrick works in communications fyi!)

AND we have Jeopardy.  Alex Trebek's second last episode played tonight.  While tipping our hat to Alex at the start, boy was the competition fierce throughout tonight.  I won though.  I always win.  Jepardy, It's my thing.

So. We've got to stay strong.  It's 13 more days.  Trump will be gone as President.  No doubt he will still be creeping around in shadows of a crappy conspiracy laden right wing tv channel.  But on a day to day basis, and as a leader of  "the free world" he will be gone.  Better days are coming.

Better Days Are Coming.  Say it with me. BETTER DAYS ARE COMING.