Not My President.

Just some thoughts. Sorry in advance for the length, and I don't blame you for not reading the entire thing. But I just spent an hour typing and figured I might as well share because I think a lot of people feel this way. AND IT IS OK.

Not My President.

“Well he is your president now, so there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“You better learn to like him because he is your president now.”
“Quit whining! You had your chance to vote and he still won, so he’s your president now.”

I currently live in Florence, Alabama. I really like the town and I like the people in it. They are friendly and have been very welcoming, despite calling me a ‘Yankee’ at every turn (which honestly is pretty funny to me). I thought I loved everything about living here until I heard the election brought up and how people in Alabama felt about it (not all, but based on the election, a majority). 

I thought Alabama has always been a Republican leaning state. I learned that is not the case. From the 1828 to 1860, 1876 to 1944, 1952 to 1960, and 1976 elections, Alabama provided its electoral college votes to the Democratic nominee for president (http://www.270towin.com/states/Alabama). At first I thought that was a pretty interesting statistic until I remembered that the Democratic party didn’t really take a stance on issues like the number of people living in poverty, pro-life/pro-choice, wage equality, and subsidized healthcare until very recently. So in actuality, it makes more sense than I thought. 

From 1980 to 2016, Alabama has provided 9 electoral college votes to the Republican nominee for president. I find it a little silly that I never really looked into it, but that is because I am from a suburb of Chicago, Illinois where the opposite is the case. I was born in 1991, and from 1992 to 2016, Illinois has provided its 20 electoral college votes to the Democratic nominee. So being a Democrat, you could say, was a birth right. Not to mention I grew up with a drastically diverse group of friends with parents from all over the world, so I tried to take it upon myself to make sure I was always wearing someone else’s shoes when political, civil, social, etc. issues were brought to my attention. In today’s terminology, I like to maintain as “woke” as I possibly can, because I recognize that I hold certain privileges as a white person that my friends do not have the luxury of holding because they are not white. 

I voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. For some of the reasons above, but mostly because I happen to think she was the more experienced candidate who has devoted her life to public service and the rights of children, which, no matter who you voted for, is nearly impossible to dispute. I voted for the Democratic nominee for president in a state that hasn’t voted a democratic nominee into presidency since 1976. I knew my vote wouldn’t mean much in the grand scheme of the presidential election, but I made sure to get to my designated polling place and cast it anyway, not to mention I was also able to vote on a lot of new legislation that needed my one vote (the following is beside the point I am trying to make) because apparently Alabama had a law stating money earned and donated ($15 million in the last four years!!!!!) to its state parks could be reallocated to the general fund and used for things other than state parks…I think I can read your mind here when we all say, “DA FUCK?!” (THE AMENDMENT PASSED AND THAT IS NO LONGER THE CASE!! WOO!!). 

Back to my point, as voting was closing and forecasts were being made I had a terrible pit in my stomach that told me that Donald Trump could become president. I hoped that wouldn’t happen, but I suspected it might. Then, as more swing states swung in Trump’s direction, I had to turn off the television and go to bed and hope I would wake up the next day with reporters talking about how the U.S. dodged a bullet and once all the ballots were counted, it turned out Hillary had won the majority. That didn’t happen. 

I can admit that I am a sore loser and I always have been. I have played competitive sports my entire life and losing never sits well, but this was different. I never lost a basketball game and feared for my rights as a woman, more specifically my reproductive rights. After a loss, I never worried that some of my best friends and other people of color would face unimaginable discrimination and a collective shoulder shrug in the direction of their personal rights and concerns as U.S. citizens. I have heard and seen my friends, who are one part of a mixed race couple, get heckled, and asked embarrassing questions because of the color of their skin or because of the color of their partner’s skin. I have even caught myself asking my friends questions that are purely born from curiosity that would be looked at as racially discriminatory if I wasn’t speaking with my friend. 

So I want to explain why Donald Trump is Not My President. He ran a campaign that fed the underwhelming notion that one person is better than another. He fed into the xenophobic fears of the misinformed that said it is ok to use derogatory remarks when addressing someone who looks different than you (even though this is AMERICA and EVERYONE looks different, which is one of the most beautiful things about our nation). He cheered on rally-goers that booed, shouted at, and physically assaulted people with opposing views. He thinks Global Warming is a hoax. He thinks women should be punished for opting for an abortion (I can feel my ovaries being taken away as I type). He thinks pregnancy is an inconvenience. He wants to repeal Obamacare. HE THINKS HE CAN GRAB WOMEN BY THE PUSSY BECAUSE HE IS FAMOUS. He led an attack on the disenfranchised of the nation fueled with hate, ignorance, and a slogan that insinuated America was somehow greater in a past time (need I remind you of slavery, the women’s rights movement, the civil rights movement, and the decade in which Disco ran the world…gross). 

Based on all of the above, I find it difficult to believe that Donald Trump would support a cause I am passionate about, or a cause that would lead America in the direction I thought it was headed one year ago. This election has let me down in ways I cannot express. This is why he is Not My President. Yes, I understand he will be sworn into office and will eventually become THE president. But that does not mean he is mine. He never has been and I highly doubt the fact that he will prove to be in the four (HOPEFULLY NOT EIGHT) years he will be in office. I am hopeful he will surprise me and lead our country to a better place after four years than it is in now. But I am not so disillusioned that I will completely abandon my fears and concerns. 

In summation, the following is what I know to be true:

1. Donald Trump will become the president of the United States of America.

2. I am not happy about it.

It Works!

I was introduced to It Works! about a year and a half ago by a former college basketball teammate. She kept posting about a company that was changing her life and giving her the financial freedom she had always wanted.

Obviously, I was super skeptical. How could a magical company come out of no where and change someone's life, just like that?

Well it took me about 6 months before I finally said YES! and I have loved every second of it! I joined to make an extra $100 a month just to have a little more cash in the bank, but It Works! has helped me slowly but surely take care of my credit cards. I am getting closer and closer to a zero balance and it is all because of It Works!

I have recently move across the country to Alabama to pursue my dream of becoming a college basketball coach, and It Works! has allowed me to do that!

I'm so thankful for this company and everything it represents. FUN. FIT. FAMILY. FREEDOM!

Join me!!!!

EllenHolton.myItWorks.com

Wonder/Wander.

Do you ever wonder why we are the way we are? Do you ever wonder what we could be? Do you ever feel so happy one moment, then wonder why your mood just plummeted? Do you ever wonder why you feel like you are in a rut? Do you wonder why in the hell did you choose the profession you chose? The list is endless. 

How much do you wonder?

I think the reason we wonder so much is because we don't wander enough. We need to wander into new experiences, good and bad. We need to wander to the book store and read something new. We need to wander our neighborhoods and find a restaurant we never knew existed. We need to wander to new cities and new countries and see the world. We need to wander with friends. We need to wander with significant others. We need to wander alone. 

People are not meant to remain stagnant. 

People are meant to stop WONDERING and begin WANDERING. 

Wandering prevents wondering. 

What Now?

A Look into the Decisions We Make.

Have you ever thought about how much the decisions we make affect our lives? Have you ever made the decision to go out with friends on a night you were originally planning to lay low? Have you ever decided not to go out with friends on a night when you originally wanted to? What about the decision to drive after a few beers because 'you're not drunk, only buzzed'. What about giving into peer pressure and experimenting with drugs you never wanted to experience. 

Making the smallest decision can have the biggest impact on who we become and what future decisions we will make. 

As an eighth grader, I made the decision that I was going to play college basketball. I knew it would be a lot of hard work but I also knew that I loved basketball and this was something I truly felt was the right course for me. As a senior in high school, I committed to play basketball at a division two school in Eastern Tennessee. I am originally from Elgin, Illinois, a suburb in the Chicagoland area. 

Eleven hours. That was the distance from my home to my decision. 

One hour. That was the distance from the nearest major city to my decision. 

Thirty minutes. That was the distance from the nearest grocery store to my decision. 

Being from the Chicago area, I grew up in a city. I grew up in an area of convenience.  I grew up in an area that was fast paced and filled with people from all walks of life. 

My decision to move eleven hours to attend school in Eastern Tennessee took me to a town of 3,000, 1,100 of which were students. My decision took me into a beautiful backwoods town in the heart of Appalachia, surrounded by more mountains than people. I did not comprehend the impact that decision would have on me a as a person. I did not understand that moving eleven hours from my family and from my friends would create holes in my heart and soul that could not be filled by the scenery, albeit beautiful, that surrounded me. 

I realized very early that I would not graduate from my decision in Eastern Tennessee. I realized very early that I had not fully thought out a decision that would impact who I was so tremendously. I realized very early that I had more decisions to make. 

After my freshman year, I made the decision to transfer and commit to continue playing basketball at Northern Kentucky University. 

Five hours. That was the distance from my home to my new decision. 

Ten minutes. That was the distance from the nearest major city to my new decision. 

Two minutes. That was the distance from the nearest grocery store to my new decision. 

My decision to transfer changed my life. I was able to play basketball for a very successful division two program, which in my senior year made the transition into the division one arena. I met people that have become my very best friends. I met the man I have been dating for the past three and half years. I graduated from college. I accepted my first post-graduate job that turned into a career. 

I realized after about one year, that I had made a great decision. I made a decision to align my surroundings with what was comfortable and familiar, while still being new and exciting. I made the decision to move closer to home, family, friends, and civilization. My decision changed my life. 

Now here's the kicker:

Had I not made the decision to attend a school in Eastern Tennessee where I spent an unhappy year, would I have ended up at Northern Kentucky where I spent six unbelievably happy years?

Our decisions, good or bad, shape who are as individuals and influence who we become as people; mind, body, and soul. It is important to understand that fact and understand that bad decisions can turn into good decisions. But to also understand a decision that we may initially think will lead us in the right direction, may not.