My Tiny Rainbow
Last Friday I hastily kissed my kids goodbye, shouted a reminder at my mom about nap schedules, and rushed to the Patterson shop. Per usual, I tried to open two email accounts, Facebook, a toy distributor’s site, and the client that would allow me to remote in to a different store’s computer all at the same time. I scanned my email, popped open a screen within a screen, and clicked through all of my tabs.
I don’t remember which post I saw first. At 9:15am, Facebook was already on rainbow blast. I clicked on whichever article it was, actually stood still, and cried.
These days, the news is alwasy bad. Terroists attack almost daily, decapitation is becoming a common way to die, and here in the good old USofA kids are killers and race relations are somehow leaping backwards. I’m tempted every day to muffle my ears and turn inward, because life has become obscene and terrifying. So many of my fellow humans are either suffering from hate or forcing others to suffer it at their hands.
But on Friday, love prevailed. Just barely, but it prevailed. How our country managed to insist for so long that a person loving another person could be wrong, let alone one of our primary problems, I have no idea, but on Friday I was happy.
When my kids are young adults and I tell them that in my day, marriage was segregated to male/female couples, they’ll react with the same disbelief I showed when I learned about the “colored” water fountains of my parents’ generation. THAT makes me happy.
In a world so full of adversity, love and happiness are well earned. Everyone should have the freedom to feel and express love and love should be the absolute last basis for discrimination. Love is our biggest weapon against hate. I don’t know if it conquers all, but it’s one step towards a solution.
My heart is full for gay couples who are finally allowed to marry, for gay couples who are already married, and for gay people who have no interest in marrying. It’s so dumbly obvious, but regardless of sexual orientation, religion, or race, all humans deserve equal rights.
We are not unburdened, but Friday’s decision has left us lighter and readied us for more positivity. Love took a big win, and now it’s our responsibility to keep rooting for it. It’s so easy to slip into stressful routines and get distracted by anger. I hope we can honor ourselves and each other by taking #lovewins further than a hashtag. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made and I’ll crave its evidence every day.