We Are Not Okay…

I went to work with kiddos and horses. I came home, opened the computer and found this, “Another day, another mass shooting,” at a Florida yoga studio!

I really have no words left to describe the grief and horror I feel inside. And the truth is, I’m really not okay. To have this happen anywhere, let alone in a place of sanctuary, healing, and comfort — and to have this happen AGAIN — is just beyond my comprehension.

We as a country are traumatized. The leader of our nation is actively calling for violence. People feel justified carrying out acts in his name. Twelve of our leaders are targeted for assassination, yet they blow it off as it a “hoax”… Of course, they were proven wrong, but still found a way to twist the truth.

Every day, almost every hour, my heart cracks a bit wider. The pain I feel is palpable. But I won’t stay away from the news; I refuse to turn my head away. My entire life, I’ve heard the stories from my ancestors about those who did. I know that we have to look. It’s not “safe” to look away — if we do, I know the end result.

I won’t pull a spiritual bypass when my fellow country men/women are being actively targeted and murdered. Instead, I will shout to the hilltops until someone hears: “THIS IS NOT RIGHT!” Maybe I’m just screaming so loudly “so the light can get in,” as they say, but the high levels of grief and PTSD are becoming more and more obvious in us all.

If you vote (R), I see your alignment with and approval of these acts of violence and hatred. You might as well say out loud, “His hate and fear are okay with me!”

Even my Republican grandfather and grandmother would be screaming as loudly as I am. They would have distanced themselves from Trump’s party, just as other Republicans with any compassion or common sense have done. (If you’re one of them, I thank you for that. I thank you for seeing the truth and the consequences of this man’s agenda — for having a moral compass.)

I don’t shy away from political discourse. I won’t always agree with the other side, but I see discourse as democracy in action. It’s a civil right. It’s an attempt to find a place of understanding and uncover a satisfactory solution.

While the end result won’t always satisfy all parties, this — what we are currently living through — is not democracy, folks. The checks and balances are now gone in service to extremist agendas, egos, and money.

I’m sorry if that offends some of you, but that’s the truth I see… This “leader” knows exactly what he is doing. THEY know exactly what they are doing. In their desperate attempt to hold on to power and control, they run on fear of differences, outright lies, and manipulation.

What I’m seeing terrifies me more than his words. The (R) party as a whole remains silent, which can be qualified is an act of complicit behavior (and begins to tear at the fabric of our country’s Constitution).

I’m going back up to the horses now. I need to shed some tears. My prayers to those of us who have been put in his crosshairs. My prayers to the families who have lived in fear, who have suffered and continue to suffer terror and trauma, who have even suffered the loss of loved ones as a result.

WE are not okay today.

~

Sheri Gaynor, LCSW, is a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist, a transformational life coach. She is the internationally respected author of “Creative Awakenings: Envisioning the Life of Your Dreams Through Art.” Through the alchemy of creativity and the wisdom of horses, Sheri supports people in uncovering, discovering and manifesting their life purpose and becoming the leaders and change makers they were destined to be.

“I’m a bit of a rebel and as such, not very good at staying in the lines and enjoy inspiring others to do the same. I am a weaver of dreams and spread seeds of magic, because I know that with intention and action, dreams really do come true. Nature and animals are my sanctuary and it’s where I spend my down time—and a lot of my work days too.”

Visit Sheri at her website.

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