This Is Why I Marched

   "The older I get, the more I see how women are described as having gone mad, when what they've actually become is knowledgeable and powerful and f*#cking furious" ~unknown

I recently watched an interview on Netflix with David Letterman and Barack Obama called “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction”.  It was one of the most touching, informative, and entertaining hours of TV I’ve seen in a long time. They spent a good portion of the interview talking about the Civil Rights March in Selma, Alabama. Mr. Letterman admitted that on that spring day in 1965, he was on his college break in the Bahamas, spending most of it “sh*tfaced” (his words).  I saw so much regret in his face when he asked himself why he wasn’t at that march. I think there were even tears in his eyes. It was definitely a vulnerable side of Letterman I’d never seen before.  In that moment, whatever reservations I had about attending the Women’s March in Denver disappeared into thin air.  I knew, that just like those people who marched in Selma 50 years ago, I would be participating in something that would make and change history.  Hopefully, 50 years from now,  people will be talking about the millions of people who marched for women’s rights in 2017 AND 2018…and not just around the country, but globally. I knew that I would be making a difference.  So on January 20, 2018, my boyfriend and my friends and I got up early, drove down to Civic Center Park, miraculously found a close parking spot, and marched. We walked along with thousands of other spirited women, men, and children in the Colorado Women’s March.  I didn't do this without trepidation. I come from a family of conservative Republicans who don't get why I marched, ( I didn’t even tell my Dad, not wanting to deal with his cynicism), and sure enough I had to face a few snide comments on my Facebook page.  I’ll also admit I was a little worried about our safety at the march, considering what happened in Charlottesville last summer.  None of that mattered when I found myself surrounded by like-minded people with positive spirits, all of them peacefully and energetically marching beside me on an unusually warm January day.  The people on the sidelines were not against us, (as I feared), but were supporting and cheering us on. We marched through a sea of clever signs and pink hats, hundreds of folks chanting and singing, car horns blaring their support, the state capital building in our view, and I have never felt so alive and emotional. I’ll admit there were more than a few tears shed.  We began the march with words of encouragement from Denver’s Mayor Hancock, and  I knew then exactly why I was marching.  I wasn’t marching against Republicans, and I wasn’t marching because I’m a “liberal snowflake”.  I marched because I’m a compassionate human being who values equality, diversity, and LOVE. I marched for the women of the #metoo movement, those who have raised their voices and those who have been scared into silence. I marched for victims of narcissism and bullying, because I know first hand how it feels to be abused by a narcissist, and how incredibly difficult it is to stand up for yourself without backlash. I marched because never again will I allow myself to be in a toxic relationship, and I will only surround myself with kind, compassionate souls…the kind of souls that were marching along side me. I marched because I will never understand, for the life of me, how some people are okay with the leader of the USA thinking it is ok to grab women by their genitalia and brag about it.  That kind of behavior will never be okay, and it has already brought down a lot of high profile people. Why he is exempt is beyond me. So again, I marched for the #metoo movement. I marched because it is time for women to be treated equally and with respect, without fear of abuse. I also marched for my niece and nephew, whose mother comes from a country the President allegedly called a “sh*thole”, and I marched for all the other children from all the other NOT- “sh*thole” countries. I marched because we deserve an articulate, intelligent, classy, reasonable, sane, and kind human being as the leader of our country (no matter what his/her political affiliation may be). I marched because our environment and our world deserve to be treasured, and if we neglect Mother Earth, none of these other issues we're marching for matter. I marched because I needed to be surrounded by harmonious people who hold the same values as I do close to their hearts, and would do anything to protect those values. I marched strong and proud, even though we may not see results today or tomorrow or next year. Hopefully we will see them in 10 or 20 or 50 years, and it’s important for me to leave behind a beautiful and fair world for our future generations.   If these things I marched for make me a "snowflake", so be it. But guess what? Apparently there are millions of other snowflakes out there marching for the very same reasons.  We will make a difference. We will create an amazing avalanche of love, kindness, empathy, and of course, equality.  President Obama said something so poignant to David Letterman in regards to the Selma March that I think still rings true today (this is somewhat paraphrased):  "If enough (people) sing and walk and pray and show this injustice, we can awaken the conscience of the nation".  THAT is why I marched.  #TIMESUP #METOO #SHAREMYSPIRIT