I Cry for You, California

So many of you know that the California Supreme Court has upheld Proposition 8, which essentially tells same-sex couples that they cannot marry. I don't want to get into the wherewithals of the reasons behind the decision, because I do understand that there were other implications involved. I want to talk about my feelings, of course.

I'm saddened, obviously, because Prop 8 from its very inception is nothing but a clear-cut case of bigotry, but also for a more basic reason.

Love.

The state of California has (again) screamed to the rest of the country (world) that you are not allowed to love who you want around here. Has told us that we just can't have people running around willy-nilly, choosing who to fall in love with, wanting to take care of another person for the rest of their lives & devoting the rest of your life to making another person happy. Not without passing the physical. No way, we'd have way too many happy people around, and we certainly can't have that. We need to make it as difficult as possible for anyone "different".

As somebody with so much difficulty with relationships in the past, I simply cannot get my head around why any person/entity/organization would want to deny any person/entity/organization the freedom to love freely who they wish. My marriage was between a man and a woman and so therefore legal. And now over. Good thing we didn't let gays and lesbians marry here in Colorado - would have completely destroyed the sanctity of THAT blessed union.

I'm sad because in a world that is clearly in need of more love, ANYONE has the cojones to try to tell ANYONE who to love. I'm sad because last time I checked, it clearly had a bit about "the pursuit of happiness" in the Constitution, and I'm sad because the Jesus I met in Sunday School when I was a kid had a lot to say about spreading love to EVERYONE, not just people that are the same as you.

Please, people. Love is a beautiful thing. Period.

The Tao of Dude

This is an absolutely true, almost word for word account of a real conversation I had with the boy on the way to school today. Seriously, I can't make this stuff up.

Dude: Mom, I can't decide what I want to be when I grow up. There are three things I want to be.

Mom: Really, what are they?

Dude: Well one is a geographer.

Mom: A geographer?

Dude: Yes, cuz I'm really really good at taking pictures.

Mom: oh, you mean a photographer.

Dude: yes, a pheographer -

Mom: ....

Dude: - I want to be a pheographer and take lots of pictures. Because I like that. I also want to be a police man, cuz I'm really good at talking on the walkie talkie -

Mom: ...

Dude: - and a policeman has to do that all day long. I also want to be a scientist because I'm really smart.

Mom: oh, you are?

Dude: yes, I'm really smart. So I can't decide which one I want to be.

Mom: Why don't you be all three?

Dude: No, that would be too much work. And when I grow up I want to have a dog and a cat and they will miss me too much, I will need to be there to take care of them.

Mom: okay.

Dude: Oh, and you know how you call Poo a bear and me a monkey? Well, it's a really good thing that we're not really animals, and you are just joking about that.

Mom: uh, okay, why?

Dude: Because then we wouldn't be able to go swimming at Daddy's condo. Because they don't allow any pets in the place where they keep the pool. So it's a good thing that in real life, we're really people.

Mom: I see.