I'm ready to move forward.
After a period of grief, a reprieve from media, and a retreat to mother nature, I am now back not in somberness or fear, but an excitement of new grounds and new understandings burgeoning from the ruins of my previous political identity.
The sense of security and righteousness in labeling myself a democrat has vanished during this election. Surprised and offended by my own self-discovery as a liberal elite - I saw that democrats left the working class out of the conversation for expediency, and I was a part of that unconsciousness.
Bernie said it best: he is a progressive, not a democrat. That resonated with me. I am not for democratic-socialism, nor am I for a consumerist-democracy. Where I stand is wherever equanimity and the sanctity of life can be felt equally by one and all - on a global level.
And I stand for education. No country is truly rich until its people have the mental framework and awareness to harvest and share wealth sustainably. How are the Scandinavian countries the happiest? Free college education with monetary support in graduate studies. Which leads to understanding of a positive cycle of give-and-take.
And so I keep moving forward. Not in the energy of condemnation or resistance, but in the clarity of my excitement and gratitude for life and holding that vibration. I still feel proud, and I still feel grateful for this country's passion for happiness, freedom and justice for all.