the state

sunday marks ten years since matthew shepard was killed.

today, the connecticut supreme court ruled that same sex marriages were legal. sarah palin was found to have acted unethically in the firing of her ex- brother in law. the financial crisis is sobering us up. barack obama is pulling ahead in some polls.

and for the first time, i'm beginning to feel like i live in a democracy. for the first time, my peer group is making a difference at the polls.

maybe it's because i'm 32. maybe things just feel like they're getting better.

but i really think they are. for the first time, i see my communities forming, and sustaining themselves.

whatever way things go, i hope we've all had enough. enough of the status quo. enough of letting other's votes carry more weight, because so many votes are absent.

i hope the newly formed neighborhood associations continue to thrive. i hope i continue to see political signs, and peace signs, fly in my neighbor's homes and yards. i hope i continue to wake up excited every morning to read the news. i hope i continue to assess myself, and my values, and my actions.

i hope i keep welling up, on my way home, because i'm hopeful for my communities for the first time in ten years.