Don't Let the Turkeys Get You Down.*

*I would credit that phrase if I knew to whom to credit it (if you know, please let me know).


I have been thinking for a few days that I should post a blog and not lose momentum. Especially leading up to the midterm elections, my passion and fire was up and I was blogging more frequently. I knew, though, that I was feeling a bit letdown, hopeless, disillusioned after the election. So I want to blog to "not let the turkeys get you down."

When I was a child, my dad had this mug:

Everyone thought it was hilarious! And I really hate to admit this still, but I'm still not sure why. Maybe it's just the literal imagery? Maybe it was political (with the elephant) but I'm unsure what the political beliefs were in my childhood home (I suspect they've changed as the family dynamic changed).

But I've thought of this quote, of this idea as I've thought of what to blog. We can't let the turkeys or the Republicans or the naysayers or whoever get us down!

If anyone hasn't caught on yet, I'm a Democrat. I'm proud of that and I honestly believe that the ideas behind the Democratic platform are those most closely aligned with things I believe even more deeply such as treating all people with respect and helping those less fortunate than you. But even if you aren't a Democrat, don't let your turkeys get you down.

What has really changed this week for me personally. Nothing. I still believe the same things, I still want the same things, I just can't rely on the same methods to get them. So maybe a change of strategy is in order, maybe a change of timetable. But I need to remember that the environment is still suffering so my "green" efforts and my vegetarianism are still valid choices. There are also still hungry, poor, unhealthy, discriminated against people out there. And I still want them to have an equal chance in this world.

I do have some personal turkeys, too. I won't go into them here, but they exist. You do too, I'm sure of it. But we can't let them get us down. We can't let our hopes be dashed, our passions be dimmed, our desires be squelched. So I hope that you (and I) can carry in our heads the image of that elephant (lol maybe it should be a donkey for me?) in our heads this week (and this month and even the next few years) and not let our own personal turkeys get us down.