Cathartic Band Practice

 

Today was maybe not the most exciting Sunday. We had a relaxed morning, went to the late Mass north of us, and then went to Black Earth to buy new shoes (me) or boots (Travalon). We took a walk around Salmo Pond, but it was pretty rainy out today. We got some coffee in Cross Plains, then I was pleasantly surprised at how well I did in Irish class, and then we took a walk around the neighborhood before I had to leave for band practice.

Band practice was so cathartic. I'd been intimidated by the idea of starting over again, whether that meant finding a new tribe, a new religion, or a new country to live in, but after talking to my bandmates, I feel so much better. After all, not every Catholic voted for this evil, evil man, and some of them surely live around here - I just have to find them. This is my first lifetime as a human, and it is shocking to feel so betrayed by people I thought cared about morality, but of course nobody is perfect. Almost half of us voted for the greater good instead of our own selves, and as our bass player pointed out, one silver lining with the Orange Thing winning is that his followers didn't get violent (yet). Our side doesn't go on the attack when we lose, we just get sad and introspective, but from talking to others, I'm one of the rare ones who had a lot of relationships to unwind because they are on the other side. I have been friends with some of these people for three decades, but I am remembering how they were three decades ago, when they weren't so far to the right. And if people say how can I throw away friendships after thirty years, I say how can they throw away a democracy after two hundred and fifty years? 

After our talk, we played Christmas carols, and that elevated my spirits further. I had arrived very angry, telling them that I just want to tell these people to f--k all the way off and keep on f--king off until they have f--ked all the way off to the F--kistan they voted for, but after singing and playing the mandolin, I don't feel angry anymore. I feel hopeful again. I also may feel a bit of schadenfreude when the Orange Thing's bizarre policies come back to haunt the people who voted for him (probably more than they will affect us, as one bandmate pointed out), but I'm not perfect either. Still, I'd rather be a b--ch than a hypocrite like the so-called "Christians" who voted for him.

Famous Hat