most of you know that i hail from Massachusetts. you know, Taxachusetts, Beantown, Massholes, the Mayflower, witch hunts, the Boston Tea Party, home to four US Presidents (John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Calvin Coolidge, John F. Kennedy), land of the first free public school in the nation, paahk the caah in Hahvahd Yaahd. yep, that's where i am from. and, you may also know that Massachusetts has been a blue state long before the concept of 'red states' and 'blue states' ever came into being (a concept that i recently learned was coined on the Today show in the 2000 election).
the way i remember it, politics and finances were two things that we did not really talk about that much when i was growing up. when i came home from school one day wanting to know how much money my dad made--a question being discussed on the playground during recess, i imagine--i was told that was not something that i needed to know; what i needed to know is that we lived a quality life and had all of the things we needed, not the least of which were a roof over our heads, food on the table and transportation, and some other things that we were lucky to have: a house on Cape Cod and a boat, for example. But at some point--probably for a school project--I came to learn about my parents' political leanings. In the interest of not outing my parents here on the interwebs, let's just say that i most definitely get my bleeding heart from my mom. and that is why what happened yesterday practically brings tears to my eyes. who am i kidding? it DID bring tears to my eyes.
now i should perhaps preface this story with the fact that though MA is a blue state, the town where my parents live is probably more of a reddish shade of purple, which may help set the context for this little tale.
in his retirement, my 72 year old father has developed a knack for volunteerism. (how awesome is THAT?!) and, his most recent gig is driving seniors in the community--to the market, to doctor's appointments, etc. the other day he picked up a woman not too much older than himself to take her to her doctor's appointment. she made her way out to the vehicle, slowly. when she got in, she reeked of smoke and apparently had emphysema on top of it. nice combo, eh? pretty much right off the bat he got the feeling that she would prove to be a piece of work. and, she did not disappoint. she launched into a tirade about President Obama. she said something along the lines of this: "that President Obama...do you know that he thinks it is okay for a man to marry a man and a woman to marry a woman? it is just outrageous. this country...blah blah blah...family values...blah blah blah...get him out of office...blah blah blah." admittedly, 'progressive' is not necessarily a word that i would use to describe my dad. but in that moment, he said to this woman: "well you know, here in Massachusetts that has been the law for years (since 2004, actually). and, in fact, my wife and i know gay couples who have married here and we think it is great. I have absolutely no problem with that. really, it's a non-issue." apparently the woman looked at him like he was insane. and, in her mind, he is. but when i heard this story, i was and am SO proud! i am willing to bet that my dad's words did not change the opinion of this crotchety woman but that does not really matter. what matters, at least to me, is that my dad disrupted her ignorance, even if only for a moment.
Dad: we may not always see eye to eye politically, but thank you for instilling in me the value of speaking up, especially for those who may not have the opportunity, the power or the privilege to do so. Even at 40 years old, you continue to teach me how to be a better person and i feel grateful and blessed for that every day! (and, i hope that i got the details of the story right!)
