America the Beautiful.

I am in love with this country. I have been to over half of our states and I have seen the glory that each unbelievably beautiful state has to offer. It is a miracle. The land is so powerful, it is heart-wrenching. I am brought to tears just by the absolute purity of our national forests, parks and reserves. I have seen every continent, including the majestic icebergs of Antarctica. I know this world, and yet, I still have so much to explore. With all of my exploration, I still find America to be one of the most stunningly awesome (I mean that in the purist sense of the word- evoking AWE and WONDER) parts of this grand earth. I am lucky to be here. I know that. I am lucky to have been born into such a naturally beautiful part of this world. But I will be honest in saying that my heart is deeply breaking right now for the future of this land. I am currently reading an incredible adaptation of "The People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn called "The Young People's history of the United States". I wanted to read the Young People's account  because I wanted to un-learn what I have previously been taught for my entire life and re-learn how the history of America truly began, almost like a child. While I am amazed at how our core of American "values"started by separation, I am not truly surprised. Looking at how deeply broken we are today, it is obvious that we have built this nation on separation.

For years, I have stood quiet when it comes to politics. I have always felt so anxious to discuss certain things because I genuinely do not like to argue or debate. But right now, I simply feel that this anger inside of me is a truly beautiful fire of change and I cannot ignore it. I don’t want to fuel the separation with more separation, but I do think we are all in need of some major healing.

I listened to the republican debates, I have heard both sides. I am not un-welcoming to hear all sides of the story. In fact, sometimes I feel nervous to say anything about these issues because I LOVE certain people who disagree. But when I look at my priorities; my deep connection to this earth, my own body and my right to choose and get access to health care as a woman, my concern for overwhelming debt to financial institutions, the massive wealth inequality we are facing and the climate change emergency of our time, I want to vote for the candidate that speaks to my experience. That is Senator Bernie Sanders.

I love America. I love this gorgeous and miraculous land. I want to help heal this deeply-broken system. I only have my voice, my vote and my willingness to keep changing my self. I know that when it comes down to it, I don’t have much say on an individual basis. But together we all do. I understand what can make people disagree, but I also hope that we can all truly hear what’s happening, and look into what needs attention right now.