Not My President

Dateline Boston — A friend gave me a journal. On the cover it says, “Keep Calm and Write On.” That sounds like good advice to me.

Donald Trump is the President of the United States. Did I just write that? Hard to believe. Impossible, almost. I’m really upset that this man got elected. When I get angry, really angry, I get very calm and subdued. You can tell when I’m mad, because usually I’m very animated. The more riled up someone else gets, the calmer I am.

I marched in the Women’s March in Boston last Saturday. It was amazing. It felt great to be a part of 175,000 people coming together. Someone asked me why I was marching.  I said I wanted to be with people who thought like me. I didn’t have a pink pussy hat. Normally, I’d love something like that, a fun and creative way to express myself, a way to gain attention. I didn’t even make a sign.

I thought about it later, and I realized that for once, I was pretty serious and focused. I just wanted to be with the people. I’m not saying that everyone with signs and hats was not serious and focused, but for me it was a time to reflect and be very zen.

At one point, my personality did come out. To begin the march, we had to squeeze through a small opening in a gate. Hundreds of people were advancing towards this space, and there was a bottleneck effect. It seemed like a perfect metaphor for women’s reproductive rights. I shouted, “We’re fully dilated! Here we go!” as we pushed through the opening. On the other side, we were “born” to begin the march! It was perfect.

There are many things I can do to show I’m not satisfied with the Electoral College’s choice for our national leader. I will donate to the ACLU and Planned Parenthood. I will send postcards. I will sign petitions online. I will not get used to Donald Trump as President. Throughout it all, I will remain calm and keep writing.

Ms. Vaillancourt may be contacted at snobbyblog@gmail.com