Realizing - Chapter 2

Hello, reader. Once again, it's been quite some time since my last post; this is becoming a theme! Anyway, I've received several requests for more chapters of my manuscript. Ask and you shall receive! Here's chapter 2. Again, keep in mind the the formatting gets weird after copy/pasting from Word. Hopefully it's not too distracting, because I don't want to go through and fix it all!

Enjoy - and as always, I would look forward to your feedback!

II

September 1992

It was the first day of sixth grade. Everyone showed in his or her new clothes and shoes. As Nathan looked around admiring everyone’s spotless shoes and freshly pressed shirts, he wondered if they all went through the same painful production of school shopping as he did. He liked getting new clothes, but did not enjoy the process. Trying on jeans at JC Penny - having to parade around in the store while a bunch of strangers watched on as his mother checked the waistline of the pants to see how well they fit – this was not his idea of a good time. But as he sat, proudly, in his desk wearing his new Levi shorts and Nike polo shirt, it somehow made all of that pain worth the struggle.
So, the first day of sixth grade was underway. The students went through the normal first-day-of-school routines. They got their desks and books and learned whom it was they would be sitting by, like it or not.
Mrs. Hoskinson was Nathan’s teacher. She was fairly young compared to the rest of the teachers at Bentwood Elementary. She was a tall, slender woman with long, dark wavy hair. She wore dark, wired rimmed glasses and spoke with a slight lisp. Mrs. Hoskinson had a lot of energy and seemed very excited to kick off another year of teaching sixth grade – greeting each student as they entered the elaborately decorated classroom.
Every color of the rainbow was represented, and then some. Bulletin boards covered most of the brick walls; chalkboards took care of the rest. A massive calendar outlining the entire school year was the center of the south wall. Nathan found it daunting to look at; they were only on the first day – there were several boxes to check off before it would be time for another summer vacation.
The beginning of this school year was a little different than what other years had been like. Nathan was more nervous than usual, not only because he didn’t know what to expect or make of the idea of playing on the seventh grade football team, but also because something had changed. He had changed and frankly, he didn’t really understand what it was all about or if he liked it.
Something had happened to him over the summer, something that comes into a young person’s life and does things to the mind and body that, up to that point, seem unimaginable. It was puberty. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been all that bad, but when school started that fall Nathan began to get the impression that he was the only boy in his class that had received a visit from puberty.
Nathan noticed that the world appeared different at the onset of puberty. A person starts to care about things that hadn’t even mattered before – like what he looked like to others. Nathan’s sense of his relation to others in the world had heightened. It seemed he couldn’t go anywhere without wondering what everyone around him was thinking – especially if it might be about him – and he usually assumed it was.
Nathan’s class was standing in the hallway on a bathroom break. They had spent about an hour listening to and reciting classroom rules and were excited at the opportunity to stretch their legs, bathroom or not.
Nathan patiently leaned up against the wall next to David and Aaron. Aaron Lender was a short, spiky-haired kid who had moved to Bentwood a couple years prior to sixth grade. He would never be the brightest one in the class, but he was a funny kid who everyone seemed to like. Aaron had a sort of childish curiosity about him that gave the impression the he might never go through puberty.
While David was trying to contain his excitement for what would come later in the day, Aaron hollered out while pointing at Nathan, “Whoa! Dude, look at your legs!”
“What?” Nathan was kind of worried wondering what Aaron was talking about.
“They are so hairy!” Aaron was ecstatic.
Nathan instantly regretted wearing shorts. He didn’t know what to say, “Oh…well…yeah…”
“That’s so crazy,” Aaron said with a chuckle of disbelief.
Nathan realized that Aaron seemed to actually wish he had as much hair on his legs, but Nathan didn’t feel special at all. He just felt different.
“Whatever, you have some too,” Nathan tried to take the attention away from his own legs.
“But not even close to what you have. You look like a wolf with all that hair, dude!” Aaron exclaimed.
“Alright, let’s head back to the room,” Mrs. Hoskinson announced.
Nathan was the first to make a move. He wanted to get out of that uncomfortable situation. During the quick walk back to the classroom his mind was a constant stream of worries.
Why did he have to be the different one? There was hair growing in unspeakable places and worst of all – on his face. Over the summer he had come to learn that he was not a fan of this fur that, if left to grow too long, made his face look like the back of a duckling. However, it seemed that several of the other boys in his class appeared to be jealous. They seemed to obsess over the new hair on his face and legs.
Nathan sat at his desk and pretended to enjoy being the circus display, throwing in an occasional half-smile and even a forced chuckle from time to time, always attempting to change the subject in the hopes that his body hair wouldn’t continue to be the topic of the hour. Until someone would pull the hair – then he had to put a stop to it. Nathan didn’t want to have hairy legs – he wanted to be like the rest of the boys in his class. There were beginning to be lots of things he didn’t understand. Why this puberty thing was happening to him and no one else was just one of those things. Aaron spent most of the first day of school comparing the amount of hair on Nathan’s legs to his own, while these comparisons were going on Nathan felt fairly uncomfortable. Not because of the attention, but because he was getting attention for being different.

So, the desks and books had been assigned, and they had recited the classroom rules so many times they no longer needed to look at the bulletin board to know them. It seemed all that was left of the day was to wait for the minutes to tick away until it was time for Nathan to kiss his childhood goodbye. Gone were the days of going home after school, turning on Duck Tales and enjoying a snack while he debriefed his mother on the events of the day - his days would no longer end at 3:10 p.m. That day truly did seem like an eternity for Nathan. He had no idea what to expect when Mrs. Hoskinson bid his class farewell and he belonged to the seventh grade football team.
He would soon find out and so would his fellow sixth grade comrades. They huddled up outside of their classroom while the girls and the boys who elected not to play football made their way to the buses. Nathan watched them in envy thinking about how lucky they were to know what the next few hours of their lives had in store for them.
While his envy of those students grew, he was again second-guessing his decision. Why was he doing this? Why was he joining this team that, at the end of the day, he really had no desire to be a part of? The truth was that he didn’t think he had much of a choice. There was an overwhelming expectation from his father (albeit unspoken) and from his friends, and frankly from the people of Bentwood - that this is what Nathan and his friends were supposed to do. After all, they were the cool kids, they were the jocks in their class. It was up to them to play football and suffice the needs of their fathers. Nathan knew that if he did not play football he would forever be a failure in the eyes of his father. And he didn’t want to even think of what his friends might think of him. So, he hid every ounce of hesitation, put on his I-can’t-wait-to-play-football-face, and joined his friends.
Once they were all ready, they made their way through the hallway from the elementary wing to the junior high/high school wing of Bentwood school. They all seemed a bit nervous, but none of them were willing to admit it. They proceeded in silence, some with a blank stare that evaded consciousness. Nathan had no idea what to expect – all he knew was that he was supposed to be excited and feel privileged that he was allowed to join the seventh grade team as a sixth grader.
They continued in their herd, down the hallway to the boys’ locker room. This was a small school, so the locker room was for all boys in grades seven through twelve. Now, Nathan had been in the locker room several times before, it was connected to the gym which he was in everyday for physical education class. Mr. Henry, the physical education teacher would, from time to time, ask one of the boys to go in the locker room to get something from his office or some sort of equipment from a storage room. Nathan was often called upon to go by himself or with a friend and so he was very familiar with the space and didn’t find it intimidating at all.
The locker room itself was a massive room. Well, Nathan thought it was massive at the time, but as he got older he realized it wasn’t that big. The walls were lined with caged lockers – floor to ceiling for senior high and half the size on the junior high side. There were benches in front of the lockers as well as rows of benches in the center of the room for team meetings. The shower room was off of the east wall and was big enough for eight. There were various storage rooms and offices located down a long hallway which joined the locker room at the southeast corner and lead to the gymnasium.
Nathan’s contentedness with the familiar space instantly changed when he and his friends opened the door and what they knew as the locker room had turned into what resembled a scene from one of those out of control prison movies. Teenage boys filled the place to capacity, some towering over others at what seemed to be eight feet in height, while others were not much taller than the sixth grade pipsqueaks that stood in the doorway watching. Heavy metal music blared through the room as random objects flew through the air, often smacking someone in the head, receiving a cheer of victory from a corner of the room. Nathan got the impression that the only way to communicate was to yell (necessary to compete with the music), and he most likely learned more colorful vocabulary in those first minutes of stepping into the locker room than he had up to that point in his life.
They stood in the doorway in their sixth grade huddle, not knowing what to do, trying as best they could to maintain their innocence. An eighth grader, Ben Jensen, walked up to them, “I hear you guys are gonna be playing on the seventh grade team.”
One of the boys responded without looking up, “Yup.”
With a smirk, Ben chuckled and said, “Well, you know we practice with the seventh grade team, so you guys better watch out or you’re gonna get the shit kicked outta ya.” He returned to his corner of the locker room, made a comment to some other eighth grade boys, and they all erupted in laughter.
Nathan could sense the stomachs of his fellow sixth grade brethren begin to twist and turn. The fact that they really had no clue what they were getting themselves into was becoming clearer with each passing second. Nathan again began to question this whole thing in his head. Were they sure this was a good idea? Why was it always up to his class to bail out the class ahead of them? It felt like they had been doing it since we started kindergarten. Was one of them going to get killed by one of these eight-foot creatures?
Much to his relief, none of the sixth graders were killed that day. It turns out that they didn’t do much of anything with the exception of receiving their equipment and uniforms. Nathan’s existence was safe for at least one more day.

He sat outside of the school with Tom Sanstad waiting for Tom’s dad to pick them up. Nathan and Tom lived very close to each other and often shared rides. Tom had been one of Nathan’s best friends for a long as Nathan could remember. Tom was a good-looking kid, with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. His mom was a teacher at Bentwood, which sometimes proved difficult. Kids would occasionally direct their frustration with Mrs. Sanstad at Tom, which clearly wasn’t fair. He was lean and already had a jaw line that most men would die for.
While tossing a small rock across the street Tom said to Nathan, “So are you excited for tomorrow?”
“What’s tomorrow?” Nathan seriously had no idea what Tom was talking about.
“Practice.”
“Oh! Yeah, should be fun,” Nathan tried his best to fake enthusiasm. For a second he thought about being honest, but he couldn’t.
“Yeah, I’m not sure yet. It’ll probably be fun, but we’ll see.”
In a few short seconds Tom had eased much of Nathan’s anxiety. All he got from the conversation was that he wasn’t the only one who wasn’t quite sure about this whole thing – and that’s all he needed.

Nathan arrived at home that evening to an extremely excited father. Gary Sherver was a big football fan; one could assume that he had started a countdown on some calendar the day Nathan was born – counting the days until he would be able play football.
Nathan walked in the door and plopped down the uniform and equipment he had received earlier. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do with most of it, but he figured his father would – and if not Mr. Henry would definitely help him. He was slightly energized by the enthusiasm his father had as he saw all of the football equipment. Nathan wondered if his dad was actually interested in something he was doing? Nathan assumed that his father would be excited about him playing football, but he just wasn’t used to receiving his attention, let alone his father being excited about something in his life.
Nathan began to pull the various pads out of the bag and arranged them on the floor. As he did, his father was instructing, “That’s a knee pad, which will go in the pocket in the knee of your uniform pants.”
Oh really? was Nathan’s first thought to himself, but he didn’t want to say it, potentially destroying any hope of his dad wanting to help him. So, he pretended to not be annoyed by some of the obvious statements and his lesson in football gear continued. They sized up the shoulder pads, put all of the pads in his pants and girdle, and even fitted his mouth guard. This was perhaps the longest conversation Nathan had had with his father to date.
The last thing to be pulled from the bag was his jersey. It was his first official team football jersey, number fifty. He held it up for himself, but more importantly his dad to see. It was black with orange trim on the sleeves. The white number was sewed on with orange thread and outlined with thick black and orange trim. Nathan was proud of it and hoped his dad would be as well.
“50? What the hell does he think you are going to do with that number? You can’t be a running back with that number.” Mr. Sherver’s words quickly changed the mood in the room from one of excitement to disappointment.
Nathan dropped the jersey into his lap and held it close. He just sat there, looking down into the black mesh material. The material that he just knew would make his dad proud. The material that he thought would finally help his dad to notice him and give him a reason to be proud of Nathan.
He wanted to cry, but harnessed every ounce of strength he could find within himself to not. His jaw was clenched; he knew he couldn’t look up, for fear of losing the control of the tears.
“Well, we’re pretty much done here. I got stuff today,” Mr. Sherver said in a soft, apathetic voice while standing up and leaving the room.
Nathan’s father was a running back in high school, and from what he always said, he was pretty good. Apparently, his assumption was that Nathan was going to be made a running back, in sixth grade. However, Nathan was not a running back. He was a lineman. He was one of the few, if not only, boys who had started puberty. He was growing and was much bigger than most – he had to be on the line to protect them – that was his assumption anyway.
Nathan sat there on the floor for several minutes, holding his jersey, fighting back tears. All he wanted was for his father to like him, and he felt like he had just ruined another opportunity for that to happen.

The next day was the first day of real practice. The process of hauling their football equipment around wasn’t exactly convenient for Nathan and his fellow sixth graders. You see, sixth graders didn’t have a locker in the locker room. This meant that they had to haul all of their equipment home every day and bring it back the next. So they not only had their regular school bag, they also had a gigantic equipment bag to keep with them all day long and then drag through the busy hallway at the end of the day to the oh-so-welcoming locker room to change.
Finding space to change in the locker room was the next challenge. Though it appeared huge when empty, the space was not big enough to support junior high and senior high football players and their equipment – add a bunch of little sixth graders running around and the result is chaos in a closet.
Nathan was able to find a little spot in the corner in which he was able to begin the process of transforming from an elementary student to a football player. He was going about his business changing into his practice uniform, sharing stories of the day with some friends, when Ben Jensen, the infamous eighth grader who successfully scared the young new football players to the core the day before, came over and began to try to show them, and perhaps his peers, that he was cool (because he could pick on sixth graders).
“You guys are so fucking stupid. Why do you carry your equipment home with you every night?” Ben chuckled with his two sidekicks while Tom and Nathan looked at each other with confused amazement.
“We don’t have lockers, we don’t really have a choice,” Tom responded.
Nathan added, “Don’t you remember being in sixth grade?”
Ben began to laugh as if Nathan had just told the funniest joke he’d ever heard. He turned to one of his followers and said, “Did you hear this little squeaker? I bet he’ll sound like that forever – what a freak!”
Nathan’s heart rate shot up as if he had just ran a sprint. He had reached a whole new level of embarrassment and wanted nothing more than to not be there. Puberty had moved his voice to an extremely unpredictable stage and it had been known to make a few excessive squeaks from time to time. This was not something that was unique to him. He wanted to tell Ben that perhaps if he had started to go through puberty he would understand what just happened, but since he was in eighth grade and still sounded like a girl – he clearly had no idea.
Instead Nathan said nothing. He said nothing and everyone went back to getting ready for practice. None of his friends said anything; he wondered if they even knew how much it stung. Ben and his sidekicks walked away and Tom changed the subject.
Something had happened. For those few short seconds Nathan felt more different from his peers than he ever had in his life. He had felt different before, just as everyone has more than once in his or her life. He started puberty way before the rest of his friends – that certainly made a person feel a bit odd. But this feeling of being different was much more severe than that. In those moments during and after Ben’s comments Nathan felt completely alone – he felt as though there wasn’t a human being on the planet that could possibly understand what it was like to be him.
That moment was very important in laying the foundation of understanding that Nathan would come to have about himself and about others. From that moment on, he was no longer a little boy – he was well on his way to becoming the person he would be and discovering just who he really was.

Realizing - Chapter 1

Greetings, Reader! I think in a past post I alluded to having finished the first draft of a novel, well, I have, and I would like your feedback - if you would be so kind as to offer it. Below, you'll find the first chapter of my Young Adult novel entitled Realizing. Enjoy, and I look forward to hearing from you with the good and the bad!

P.S. For some reason the formatting won't paste properly - my apologies!

Realizing - A Novel by Casey Lankow

Introduction

Nathan Sherver is gay. It wasn’t always so easy for him to say that. In fact, for many years of his life he couldn’t imagine the possibility of it being true; the thought of ever saying it out loud seemed impossible.
Nathan grew up in a small town in west central Minnesota. Small meaning that his graduating class had 52 students and the population of the city-proper was approximately 350, if rounded up. The town of Bentwood consisted of a bank, a liquor store, a couple gas stations, post office, and bars. Many bars. Perhaps more bars per capita than any other town in America.
Gay people didn’t exist in his small town and so the possibility that he might be gay didn’t enter his conscious process for many years into his life. Nathan knew there was something a bit different about himself from his friends, but being gay was not an option.
What follows is his story.

I

July 1992
Nathan sat on the shiny wood floor in the living room of the modest, three-bedroom lake home. He was playing Paper Boy on his newly birthday-gifted Nintendo and enjoying the carefree atmosphere of a July evening. The sun was just beginning to set and provided a warm, comforting glow through the west-facing window. His father, Gary, was sitting in the tan recliner that looked like a pile of soft clouds in the corner of the room reading the Bentwood Independent, the local section of the area newspaper.
Mr. Sherver inhaled suddenly, eliciting a high pitched gasp and yelled to his wife in the kitchen, “Nancy, did you see this?”
Nathan wasn’t sure, but he assumed his mother had rolled her eyes as she often did when his dad hollered to her. She called back with a tinge of annoyance, “See what?”
“This article in the paper from the athletic director.” Mr. Sherver sounded as if he thought she should have known.
“No. What’s it say?” Mrs. Sherver asked with greater curiosity as her head appeared from behind the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room.
“Nathan can play football this year!”
Nathan lost his breath for a second, but pretended not to hear and stayed focused on getting the newspapers on the television into the mailboxes.
“What? He’s only going to be in sixth grade though,” Mrs. Sherver clarified with some sharpness.
“I know, but it says the seventh graders need more guys, so the sixth graders get to play with them,” he explained. “I can’t believe it, those lucky kids,” he mostly uttered to himself.

If a boy wasn’t excited, it was assumed there was something wrong with him. Nathan’s class was being called up to save the seventh grade football team. Since the class above was lacking, mostly in boys but many argued in other things as well, his class was going to be able to play. Fathers, and mothers alike, were bursting with excitement. Finally, their dreams of rearing a star athlete were about to come true. All of the time spent in the backyard playing catch and teaching fundamentals would prove worthwhile. Their children would begin to truly understand the ideals of hard work and commitment. But most importantly, they would be able to satisfy their own unfulfilled childhood desires. All was right in the world for the sixth grade parents of Bentwood.

Nathan and two of his friends, Tom and David, were lounging about on the Sherver’s dock, and enjoying the warmth of the midday sun while swimming in Three Mile Lake. Three Mile Lake was located right in the center of Bentwood and was home to Nathan and many of his friends.
They were taking a break from their cannon ball contest – the highest splash won – and were sharing their thoughts on the news that they would be playing football.
“I already got spikes. We went shopping the day after my mom read it in the paper,” David boasted.
“I need to get some still,” Tom said.
“Can’t I just use my baseball spikes?” Nathan asked.
“No. You have to have the special football kind,” David explained professorially.
Nathan wasn’t sure if David knew what he was talking about. The thought of getting new shoes hadn’t even crossed his mind. Not only was his ignorance showing through, his list of concerns surrounding this situation was growing.
“So do you think we’ll practice with the seniors?” Nathan voiced one of those concerns, but tried not to show it in his tone.
“No. I think just with the seventh and eighth graders,” Tom speculated.
“I think in our games we even do like real kick offs!” David’s excitement was apparent.
“Yeah, it’ll probably be pretty cool,” Tom understated.
“Well, my dad seems to think we are pretty lucky,” Nathan said.
“We are, most people don’t get to start until at least seventh grade,” David’s enthusiasm continued.
“I guess. It’s just one year – I don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” Tom tried to bring David down from his high.
Nathan was beginning to wonder if Tom was just as skeptical about this whole thing as he was, “Yeah. I’m just not sure what to expect, but I’m sure it’ll be fun.”
The truth was that Nathan wasn’t so sure it was going to be fun, but he felt he had to say it. He actually had no idea what was going to happen. His father hadn’t exactly taught him much about football and he felt he was the only boy in Bentwood who wouldn’t know what to do when he got on the field. He didn’t know what was coming and he didn’t like it.

Nathan’s first clue came as he and the boys walked into the house seeking some relief from the heat. Mrs. Sherver was sitting at the kitchen table, soaking in the air conditioning and sorting the mail.
Nathan’s mom was a bright and cheery lady who always appeared to love life – it always seemed that his friends really liked her. She had long dark hair and took pride in always presenting her most put together self. Whether she was going to the post office or to a wedding, she made sure she was looking her best. This could often take hours of preparation, which Nathan never understood. But the finished product was always a sight to turn heads.
“Hi boys,” Mrs. Sherver said with a beaming smile.
“Hey mom,” Nathan replied as he rifled through the refrigerator looking for some cool beverages for his guests.
“What are you looking for, honey? There is some juice and soda on the bottom shelf,” Mrs. Sherver pointed out.
“Got it, thanks,” Nathan said as he tossed cans of soda to Tom and David.
“Oh hey, look at this, a letter from the athletic director about you boys playing football this fall. This is all so exciting,” Mrs. Sherver announced as she ripped open the envelope.
“What’s it say?” David asked with his usual enthusiasm for the topic.
“Well, let’s see. There are some forms for parents to fill out,” She continued reading.
“Just boring stuff probably,” Nathan said.
“Oh and look here, it says you will need to have a sports physical,” Mrs. Sherver said.
“What’s that?” Nathan asked.
“Well, you just have to go to the doctor and make sure everything is okay,” Mrs. Sherver explained, although Nathan wasn’t convinced she really knew what she was talking about.
“Oh great,” Tom moaned, “I hate going to the doctor.”
“It’s not a big deal though. It probably won’t take more than fifteen minutes. I better make you an appointment, Nathan,” Mrs. Sherver said.
“Yeah, I suppose,” Nathan said while his stomach began to churn. He had no idea what was involved in a sports physical, but he knew it involved going to the doctor – and what good could come of that?
In an attempt to calm his nerves, Nathan pulled Tom and David into the living from, “Come on guys, let’s go play Nintendo.”
As Nathan sat and watched his friends play Super Mario Brothers, he thought about how much he disliked going to the doctor. He was convinced that anytime he went they were going to tell him that he had some fatal disease that had barely been discovered and that he only had weeks to live. He had no interest in having this physical, and frankly he didn’t have all that much interest in playing football. But it seemed to him that he didn’t have much of a choice. To not play football would be an open invitation for his friends to view him as a wimp, for his father to be deeply disappointed in him, and for the people of Bentwood to wonder what was wrong with him.

The dreaded day of the physical had arrived. Nathan’s dad, Gary Sherver, was bringing him to the clinic. He was a handsome man of about six feet and wore a mustache on his upper lip. His salt and pepper hair was slightly thinning, and his dark complexion always gave the illusion that he had just returned from a sunny vacation spot. Mr. Sherver was a salesman by nature and always seemed most content talking to clients – presenting himself as a life-long friend. He would talk to a client for hours before even mentioning business. He always looked so excited when talking to people, which made Nathan always wonder why his father never seemed to want to talk to him.
Nathan sat silently in the car on the drive to the clinic. It was about a twenty-minute trip to Otter Creek, where the nearest clinic was. He watched the trees fly by the car through the window; the view would occasionally open up to a vast rolling field of grass. The sound of the tires on the road was competing with the AM talk radio blaring out of the car speakers. Mr. Sherver frequently added to the whole by shouting random comments back at the radio, causing Nathan to startle out of his tree-induced coma.
Nathan had never felt very close to his father, they could sit for hours in a car and not utter a word to each other. Weeks would pass without the two of them acknowledging the other’s presence in the same household of three. Eye contact was nonexistent between the two, and hearing “I love you” from his father would have taken much more than Mr. Sherver seemed capable of. Nathan always felt a little awkward around his father and as a result often felt guilty. He wondered if it was his fault that he and his father had such a strange, distant relationship. It was difficult for him to remember a time when he felt close to his father. However, he had hope that football just might be the thing to bring them together.
On the drive to the clinic Nathan was trying to imagine what the sports physical might entail; he really had no idea what to expect. He wondered if they were going to stick things in him. Make him pee in a cup. Rip out a sample of his hair. Whatever the procedures might include, he was terrified and slightly convinced that the doctor was going to find something severely wrong with him – giving him weeks to live.
When Nathan and his father arrived at the clinic, they took a seat in the waiting room. Nathan couldn’t identify the smell that filled the air, but it certainly wasn’t comforting. Every few seconds a high-pitched tone sounded from the ceiling, signaling a soothing female voice to make announcements. The room was filled with people of all ages. A pregnant woman sat in the corner, surrounded by several young children. An older couple sat next to them and seated between Nathan and his father and the older couple was the mother of one of Nathan’s classmates, David Jensrud. “Hi guys, are you here for the physical?” she asked.
Nathan was so scared at that point, he was barely able to produce words, but he was able to squeak out, “Yeah.”
“David is in there now, he should be done soon I would think.” She added.
Mrs. Jensrud and Nathan’s father continued talking about adult things that Nathan had no time to bother with; he was trying to calm his nerves. He tried reading the latest issue of Highlights, but just couldn’t focus enough on the picture to figure out what was missing. He thought maybe he would watch television, but it was tuned in to some soap opera, and he was too nervous to ask anyone to change the channel. Just as he was going to go check out the other magazines a nurse called his name, “Nathan Sherver?”
His heart sank to his heels. Was there any way he could have gotten out of this? Was there anything he could have come up with that would allow him to not have to go through this awful experience? In a matter of about three seconds he determined that there was no way out. It came back to the choice of bucking up or being a wimp, the latter of which he couldn’t handle. Nathan stood up to make the short walk from his chair in the waiting room to the nurse by the front desk.
“Hi, Nathan. Right this way.” The nurse said in a cheerful manner.
As they turned to walk back to the exam room, David came walking out of a room with a blank look on his face. “Hey, how was it?” Nathan asked.
He kept his blank look and mumbled “Fine. Good luck,” and kept on walking right out of the clinic.
Fine? Good luck? Nathan wondered what exactly they had done to him in there. Ever since David learned he would be playing football in the fall, he hadn’t stopped talking; a person often had to literally ignore him. Nathan thought David might have offered a bit more detail or at least he could have looked at him. His thought that this physical was a bad idea was becoming more solidified. Nathan wondered why they all had to have a physical to play football, and why did they have to play with the seventh graders anyway. Couldn’t they just wait until they are actually old enough like most boys got to do? He got the impression that they were supposed to view this as a privilege - to start playing football a year early - but at this point it seemed more like a punishment to Nathan.
The nurse led him down what looked like an endless hallway, stark with blank white walls. Nathan thought they had passed at least thirty rooms before she finally led him into an exam room and she asked him to climb up on the table and relax. Creepy cartoon drawings of body parts decorated the walls, and the persistent unnerving stench that filled the waiting room had found its way into the exam room.
The nurse asked him a few questions and took his blood pressure. He found it difficult to take his eyes off of the variety of instruments that lay on the desk - perfectly shined metal looking things that were formed in all kinds of odd shapes. He imagined the hundreds of different things he could do with them. He wanted so badly to take some to the beach and have a go in the sand. Just when he was beginning to think that this physical stuff wasn’t so bad the nurse instructed, “Okay, Nathan, please strip down naked and put on this smock.”
She threw a little blue piece of cloth on the table.
“Socks and everything?” he asked picking up the smock.
“Yep, the doctor will be in shortly,” she offered a smile with a squint of her nose and left the room.
Nathan was a little taken aback. Strip naked? What could getting naked possibly have to do with anyone’s ability to play football? What was the doctor going to have him do in this little blue robe that he couldn’t do just as well with his clothes on?
He was beside himself. He reluctantly took his clothes off and put on the smock. He was mostly covered, but he felt completely naked.
After several minutes (it may not have been very long actually), the doctor entered the room – the doctor was a man. For some reason, a reason Nathan could not explain, for a reason he wasn’t even sure existed - he was hoping for a female doctor. Drops of sweat were forming on his forehead and he felt his heart just might jump out of his chest at any second. The anxiety that he was feeling while sitting in the waiting room seemed manageable compared with what he was feeling now as he sat there naked with the doctor in the room.
The doctor proceeded to examine Nathan - looking in his ears and listening to his heart and lungs. He asked Nathan to walk around, and do all sorts of movements – none of which, Nathan thought, had anything to do with playing football. But nothing was too scary and he was thinking that the doctor probably wouldn’t be able to find any fatal diseases from what he was doing.
“Okay, Nathan, would you please stand up,” the doctor directed.
Nathan, feeling pretty good about what had happened so far, bounced right up and stood in front of the doctor. He figured things were about done and was fairly excited that he had made it through and it hadn’t even been all that bad.
“I just have to take a look down here and you’ll be set to go,” the doctor said as he lifted the smock, exposing Nathan for the entire world to see. Yes, the door was shut, but how was he to know if someone was going to barge in or not? He had thought walking around like a duck had nothing to do with football, now he was really confused. The doctor did some checking around down there, asked Nathan to cough a couple times, poked here and there, and went back to writing on the chart.
Nathan was in shock and while the doctor was taking notes he wondered how necessary all of that was? Was that even appropriate? There wasn’t even a warning. In fifth grade he learned the difference between red and green touches, and he was pretty sure that those were not green touches.
The doctor tried to make small talk, “So, are you excited to start football?”
Nathan, looking as if he were about to faint, stared straight ahead at the wall in front of him and nodded, “Mhm.”
“You guys are all pretty lucky, boy what I would have given to be able to do that when I was your age,” the doctor said.
“Yeah,” Nathan just wanted to leave. He was still trying to wrap his mind around what had just occurred. This man had just felt him up to see if he was eligible to play football.
As Nathan watched the trees on the other side of the road on the way home, he thought about how he was growing up too fast; he just wanted to read a Highlights magazine, not get physicals and play football with older kids.

Is it just too big?

I watched a video online yesterday of Jon Stewart blasting the hypocrisy that is Fox News in a way that only he can. If you haven't seen it, I would encourage you to watch it: Fox News: The New Liberals.

After catching my breath and wiping the tears of hilarity from my eyes, I was, again, struck by how different my view of the world is from the people at Fox News. Essentially, most everything that comes out of the mouths of anyone who is speaking into a microphone on that channel is the exact opposite of what I would say (of course there are some exceptions, but few).

On my best days, I like to try to think that people genuinely believe they have the best intentions and that they think their ideas are the best course of action for the betterment of the country. Now, I can also admit that I also have days in which I don't think quite as above the fray.

Obviously your opinions and ideas are based on your world view, your perception of what life is like for yourself and for others. Of course people have a fairly good handle on what like if like for them. They know what they need, what they want, and what would be best for them (well, most people anyway).

And then there is the other side of the perspective: the perspective of other people, of other subgroups within the American and world culture. I'm certain that everyone in this vast country we call the United States of America considers how their actions might affect their neighbors. I'm convinced that, at least once daily, Americans living in plush suburbs ponder what life is truly like for children living in inner cities neighborhoods. I know that all white men are sensitive to what it might be like to be an African American woman. And I know firsthand that all straight folks think about what it must be like to be gay in a heterosexually dominated society.

Okay, so I'm actually not certain of any of that. If anything, I would be more certain that little, if any of that goes on. The only thing I am certain of is that not enough of those things occur.

There are so many different Americas. There are so many varying needs. I can't help but wonder: is there a point at which a country becomes too diverse in values and needs that it's impossible to govern?

I don't know what the answer is to that specific question; it's an extremely complex dynamic. Here's what I do think I know: to assume that we all just know what life is like for all Americans is ignorant. To assume that everyone in this massive country needs to the same thing as you do is perhaps the definition of close-minded. To assume that because you are happy and satisfied with your daily life and therefore nothing needs changing is dangerous.

I think there are some important steps that have to happen before real progress can occur. They are very simple steps, and yet close to impossible. Here's what I propose:

Acknowledge that you have no idea what life is like for anyone other than yourself. Because you can't know, it's literally impossible. You can't even know what's going on inside the head of the person who is closest to you in this world at all times. But I think acknowledging this is the first step in being able to understand what it might be like. We try to hold this power over people by saying, "Oh I know what it's like." Well, no we don't. Do you really know what it's like to live minute-to-minute wondering where you are going to sleep each night (some readers might)? Do you know what it's like to hear people talk about how they value freedom for all and then tell you that you can't get married in the same breath (again, some readers might)?

So let people have their own power - we are the only one's who can know what we need. Through embracing this, I believe that we can then begin to try an empathize and attempt to understand what life is like for others. We can never know, but we can always strive to understand. Truly embracing diversity is letting going of your assumptions.

Fringers

Good morning, reader. Rain filled the atmosphere in the Twin Cities yesterday. The evening provided comforting rumbles of thunder with an occasional startling detonation that seemed to wake the foundation of my house from its peaceful state. It was a pleasantly rainy day; one of those days in which you have full license to be lazy - only because you are anticipating all that you will be able to do on the forcasted heat wave of tomorrow. Well, looks like the computer models of what would be today were a bit off. Rain and clouds remain and I'm not holding out for 90 degrees. So, instead I'll comment on the fringers.

No, not those who participated in the Twin Cities Fringe Festival. Although I tip my hat and offer my congratulations; I hear it was a successful year!

I'm applying the term fringers to those people who choose to hold extreme views, in either direction, effectively arresting any use of rational thought. Initially I'm amused by these people. They appear 'crazy' and I laugh at their antics. But upon further examination of my reaction, I have to wonder if my laughter and quickness to pass them off as crazy isn't more out of fear than amusement.

Now, I feel on fairly safe ground implying the overall craziness of their thoughts and actions. However, there seems to be a growing number of these fringers. It seems the more uninformed people are the more likely they are to become fringers.

We can find one of the most recent examples of fringers in the healthcare reform debate. It's truly frightening to see these people screaming out ridiculous accusations and untruths about the proposals and intentions. One of my personal favorites is when people on Medicare scream, "I don't want the government running my healthcare!" Reader, I hope I don't have to explain this one.

Healthcare reform will, hopefully, bring a dramatic change to our country, which generally elicits fear in people. So I can empathize with their strong reaction, sort of. But I can't empathize with either making up "facts" to support your fear or choosing not to listen to the true intent of the proposals. If you truly are frightened about what is to come, why not get the facts and learn about what is happening?

The other most recent example of fringers is much more disturbing, much more shocking, and much more difficult to empathize with. The Birthers. Do you know what these people are about, reader? There really aren't words available to describe the fatuousness of their stance. These are the folks that do not believe, for whatever reason, that President Obama was born in the United States. Even though his birth certificate has been shared and his place of birth had been corroborated with countless sources - doctors, nurses, hospital staff, the announcement in the newspaper even! These people still refuse to believe it.

A recent poll conducted by Research 2000 found that a majority of Republicans either believe that the President was born outside of the United State (28%) or they just don't know (30%). Now, as I said earlier, there are fringers on both sides. In 2007, 60% of Democrats that were polled believed that George W. Bush may have been tipped off about 9/11 and did nothing to prevent it. Come one people, you may not agree with someone's policies, but...

The examples could go on and on, I'm sure, but it just gets too disturbing. I guess my intent, reader, is to ask that you be aware and informed of the events in your world. Use more than one source when collecting information. I'm not sure an unbiased media exists; I'm not saying that's bad, just that you need to be aware of it and use more than one source. You have to create your own balance. Please be aware that there is a difference between an anchor and a commentator, a contributor and an analyst, Sean Hannity and Tom Brokaw. Some of these people are bound to dispense the truth, some of these people wouldn't know the truth if it hit them square in the eyes - be aware.

The next time you witness a fringer, reader, I would ask that you point out the irrational nature of his or her thoughts and move along, quickly. Don't feed into their energy by meeting them with their level of heightened emotions by getting into a heated debate - even though you are mostly likely correct, they won't back down and you will only get frustrated. So, just state the facts and be on your way with a smile.

Content and on my way!

It seems it has been months since my last post. Oh, I guess it really has been. Without making too many excuses let me just say that life has kept me fairly busy over the last few months. I've moved, finished the first draft of a novel, been trying to complete my Master's level internship, and have started research for my final Master's paper - of course with a bit of fun sprinkled as well. I've thought of you often, reader, but haven't been able to find the energy or perhaps inspiration to sit down with you.

Alas, here I am! I'm sitting in the office of my new apartment watching the early morning walkers make their way down Grand Avenue on this chilly, almost October feeling day, while the scent of coffee wafts from my college alumni cup resting on the blond wood of the desk. Truly peaceful.

I'm in a good place these days. There was a time, not many months ago really, that I would often find myself feeling restless. Restless about the future or perhaps even the past. Had I made the right decisions? Had I chosen to follow the right paths?

I've always sort of thought that there was some definite plan that was laid out for me, I just hadn't necessarily found it. I've had the notion, a gut-level feeling, that there was something in store for me that I was supposed to do that would rely heavily on any talents that I might have - realized or otherwise.

Thinking about what this thing was often kept me up at night. Wrestling with my thoughts and concerns about not fulfilling my role in the world was a bit unnerving at times. What if I would never do what I was intended to do? What if I have been so unaware of who I really am, of what my talents truly are that I have totally missed the boat - never to reach it? Am I now destined for a life of unfulfilled minutes watching the world clock tick away as I punch out for the day, only to look forward to another day of mindless tasks?

Countless questions and what ifs consumed my thinking: What if I was supposed to go to law school? Medical school? Maybe I should have moved to New York or DC? Why did it take me so long to find my love of politics?

Well, I honestly can't explain it, but these thoughts have been arrested. I might even take it further to say they have been silenced. Knowing myself as I do, I'm hesitant to say forever, but at least for the time being. I seem to see the world and my role in it with a clarity that, a few months ago, I wouldn't have thought possible. I can't explain how it happened. But I'm not worried. I'm not even sure that there is a pre-arranged "plan" for me anymore. I do believe that I am going to do something (I purposefully write that in vague terms), I 'm just less concerned with knowing that that something is.

This all came into conscious awareness a couple weeks ago. A friend recently asked my how my internship was going. I said it was going well. She followed up by asking if it had helped to confirm my decision to make a career change, if it was what I was supposed to be doing. I was overcome with a rush of clarity. It was as if pounds of restricting chains melted off of me and I could breath for the first time as if coming up from drowning.

I realized in that moment, standing in the doorway of my new apartment as we were departing for Davanni's, that I didn't care. It didn't matter. Maybe it was what I was supposed to be doing and maybe it wasn't. But I like what I'm doing and perhaps I won't be doing it forever, and then maybe I will be. I found peace in realizing that I don't have to know what I'm going to be doing five years from now. I'll do what I'm going to be doing - whatever that may be - that's what I'm supposed to be doing.

I have gained a great deal of insight about myself over the past year. Whether it's from graduate school or simply getting older - I don't know - and I don't need to know. All I know is that I do have talents, as all people do, and somehow they are always summoned to be of use in some capacity or another. Opportunities come and go and I pick and choose. The limits of what I am able to do and what I will do are defined only by my ability let myself do.

As cliche as it may sound, I really just need to live for the day and take on the challenges and opportunities that present themselves each minute. If I am open and willing, there is always something new on the horizon waiting for me to take it on.

Shuster takes on NOM

I like David Shuster more everyday.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Bullying encouraged in new video

Days after an 11-year-old boy committed suicide because of constant bullying from his peers who assumed he was gay, the Illinois Family Institute released this video.  It is perhaps the most shocking video I have seen produced by the anti-gay movement.  This video actually promotes bullying - a Christian organization encouraging harm to others!  Remarkable.  

The creators of the video, Northwest Valley Baptist Church, have disabled comments on the video, but please go to YouTube and flag the video for encouraging bullying.  I encourage you to call them at 623-581-3115 and ask them why they encourage the bullying and suicides of LGBT youth.

Faux Facts

I just noticed, while flipping through channels, that Fox News Channel calls their reporting "Fox Facts."  Because the facts that Fox News reports are different than just normal facts?  

Oh yeah, that's right, they are different facts - in fact, could one call them facts at all?  I see now that Fox News truly does live in their own little reality, it's called "Fox Nation."  So glad I don't live there.

Has the tide turned?

I've had this renewed sense of love of country this week.  For the past two weeks now there has been a seemingly stark shift in momentum in favor of equality.  Everyday I woke up to new positive developments.  Developments that had I read were happening six months ago, I would have assumed I was reading the Onion.

Being the news junkie that I am, I take in most of the programs that contribute to the political discourse of our nation.  If I miss the live airing, I'm almost certain to find out what happened online.  A information addict I am.  

What has been happening on the national news channels (with the exception of Fox News) has been the main reason for my newfound optimism.  The release of the $1.5 million ad from the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) filled with hate-filled rhetoric inspired a burage of responses from every corner of the country - some shown the ridiculous nature of the ad while others refuted the attacks line by line.

The spokespeople of NOM were on the airwaves defending their bigoted position.  On every show that I was able to see the respective hosts challenged the spokespeople, generally to the point of telling them just how wrong they were - it felt good.

I leave you with a clip from the Thom Hartman radio show.  He is taking on NOM executive director Brian Brown.  Enjoy listening to Brown make no sense and talk in circles  - I did!  I genuinely think that we live in a different country than we did in November.  It seems that the norm is trending to be on the correct side of this issue.

GOPers love teabagging

Perhaps you've heard about the "teabagging parties" GOP party members are organizing around the country?  Yes, you read that correctly.  I've been waiting for someone to run with this, and who better than MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.  Brilliant and hilarious, as usual.  Take it, Rachel...

Response to NOM's unfounded ad, yes it's just a bunch of lies

You've mostly likely seen the latest attack on equality from the National Organization for Marriage (NOM).  If not, here it is:



The Human Rights Campaign has responded to set the record straight about these ridiculous statements.

“The Real Truth Behind the Fake Ad”

The general argument of the ad is that the push for marriage equality isn’t just about rights for same-sex couples, it’s about imposing contrary values on people of faith. The examples they cite in the ad are:
(1) A California doctor who must choose between her faith and her job
(2) A member of New Jersey church group which is punished by the state because they can’t support same-sex marriage
(3) A Massachusetts parent who stands by helpless while the state teaches her son that gay marriage is okay

The facts indicate that (1) refers to the Benitez decision in California, determining that a doctor cannot violate California anti-discrimination law by refusing to treat a lesbian based on religious belief, (2) refers to the Ocean Grove, New Jersey Methodist pavilion that was open to the general public for events but refused access for civil union ceremonies (and was fined by the state for doing so) and (3) refers to the Parker decision in Massachusetts, where parents unsuccessfully sought to end public school discussions of family diversity, including of same-sex couples.

All three examples involve religious people who enter the public sphere, but don’t want to abide by the general non-discriminatory rules everyone else does. Both (1) and (2) are really about state laws against sexual orientation discrimination, rather than specifically about marriage. And (3) is about two pairs of religious parents trying to impose their beliefs on all children in public schools.

The real facts of each case are:

The California doctor entered a profession that promises to “first, do no harm” and the law requires her to treat a patient in need – gay or straight, Christian or Muslim – regardless of her religious beliefs. The law does not, and cannot, dictate her faith – it can only insist that she follow her oath as a medical professional.

The New Jersey church group runs, and profits from, a beachside pavilion that it rents out to the general public for all manner of occasions –concerts, debates and even Civil War reenactments— but balks at permitting couples to hold civil union ceremonies there. The law does not challenge the church organization’s beliefs about homosexuality – it merely requires that a pavilion that had been open to all for years comply with laws protecting everyone from discrimination, including gays and lesbians.

The Massachusetts parent disagrees with an aspect of her son’s public education, a discussion of the many different kinds of families he will likely encounter in life, including gay and lesbian couples. The law does not stop her from disagreeing, from teaching him consistently with her differing beliefs at home, or even educating her child in a setting that is more in line with her faith traditions. But it does not allow any one parent to dictate the curriculum for all students based on her family’s religious traditions.

Please share.  NOM needs to be silenced and called out for their lies.

Pretty good week for the gays

After the conservative voters of California chose to change their constitution to deny gays the right to proclaim their commitment of love with society, there was a collective defeated sigh among gays and their friends across the nation.  How could one of the the most liberal states in the Union have delivered such blatantly bigoted (I'm sorry, there's no other word for it) decision?  Many were scratching their heads.

In the months since we have to ask if this hate-inspired vote in California has done worked to promote gay equality.  Not only did it create an uproar within the gay community throughout the country, it also elicited reaction from rational-minded straight people who understand the implications that are involved in such an un-American action.

Let's take a look at some of the positive developments that occurred just this past week (there may be more):

Delaware - same-sex marriage ban fails to pass in state Senate

Delaware - anti-discrimination bill passes the state House

West Virginia - same-sex marriage ban fails to pass in state House

Iowa - Supreme Court strikes down gay marriage ban

Federal - hate crime bill reintroduced in Congress

Vermont - gay marriage passed in the state House (Governor threatening veto)

Would all of these forward movements for equality have happened without the tragedy in California?  Obviously we can never know.  However, sometimes it takes a fairly strong jolt to startle people out of their stagnant ways.

Keep fighting.

If everyone were as rational as this young man...

Well done, sir.

But you have to respect their views...NOT!

I'm constantly trying to understand people.  I'm infinitely curious as to why people act and think the way they do.  I could sit at the mall for hours and just watch passersby and try to figure out their stories.  I'm especially interested in understanding people who are different than me in some way - this topic has been using a lot of my daily energy as of late.

Most people are aware of my political leaning.  If you are not, it's to the left.  But because of my new obsession with trying to understand those who are different than me, I have been spending a lot of time reading conservative blogs and even the walls of conservative Facebook groups.  This has been an often frightening experience and can keep me up at night as I lay in bed with my laptop, my comforter shielding the heat from my legs.  My mind starts to spiral out of control, almost as if I'm in an alternate universe as I read some of the comments and ideas these people post for the world to see.

Gay marriage is obviously one of the topics that interests me most.  On a daily basis (that's not an exaggeration) I try to understand the thoughts of those who oppose giving this right to gay people.  I go through the basic arguments and try to see things from their point of view.  Each time I come up with the same result:  I don't get it.  

I've generally always thought that I should be the "bigger person" in such discussions.  I should stay calm and be respectful of the views of others.  I thought it necessary to go out of my way to show these people that their views, although different from mine, were theirs and I respected them.  I wanted to prove that gay people could have a rational conversation about the issue and perhaps this would help the opposing view to see that gay people are in fact perfectly normal.  I would say, "Well, I disagree, but I respect their views."

Today, I've changed my mind.  If I am to be completely honest I must say that I don't respect the views of people who oppose gay marriage.  An overwhelming number of people who hold this view think that homosexuality is "wrong" and "immoral."  By saying that I respect this point of view, it suggests that it's okay to make such a statement.  It is not okay.  These hateful, bigoted views must not be respected.  It is time that the discourse on gay marriage move away from the question of homosexuality's legitimacy.  

I'm tired.

I'm tired of accepting that certain people think who I am is "wrong."  I'm not going to do it anymore and I ask you to do the same.  

I'm tired of having to walk on egg shells around people who just might not "agree" with my "lifestyle"  that I have no control over, and I'm not going to do it anymore.  

I'm tired of putting on a gleeful face just to show that their hate doesn't affect me.  It does affect me and I'm not going to stand for it anymore.  They are wrong and I shouldn't have to deal with their hate anymore.

I'm tired of living in a country that speaks of the value of freedom for all people and yet these same people fight to deny me the same freedoms they hold so dear.  It's wrong and they need to know it.

We live in the United States of America.  The year is 2009.  There are still people who get away with preaching hateful, inaccurate views to the world.  These people need to be silenced.  Now.  

So, today I resolve to do what I can to not allow hate to be respected.  Please join me, won't you?  

Many politicians weren't paying attention

We've just come off of an election season in which the victors were those who encouraged hope.  They spoke of the future, of what is possible.  They tempted voters with what it might be like to live in an America in which politicians did more than just bicker like 4-year-olds.  They spoke of working together with all belief systems, with all philosophies to form that more perfect Union.  One candidate even spoke of our Union not being red and blue states, but the United States.

So who won?  It was those folks.  What seemed improbable became a reality.  When people are hopeful, when people are inspired, when people feel they are part of something - they act.

It strikes me that it seems many in Washington haven't learned a thing from this past election cycle.  Or if they did, they didn't pick up on the important pieces.

On January 30, the Republican National Committee elected Michael Steele their new Chairman.  Their first-ever African-American leader.  It's a wonderful thing to see some minority leadership in the Republican party; I praise them for this.  It is wonderful to see Americans from all walks of life be embraced.  However, I think it's the only thing Republicans learned from the last election.

All that stuff about working together and moving forward as one nation - I think they missed that.  

Here is a comment from Chairman Steele during his acceptance speech:  "We're going to say to friend and foe alike, we want you to be a part of us, and to those of you will will obstruct, get ready to get knocked over."

Yes, I can see how that is inviting and hope inspiring?  It's reminiscent of a certain someone who said, "you're either with us or against us."  We saw  how well that sentiment worked.

Now I would add that there are many democrats would also didn't get the message of unity.  Our own leaders, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, are perhaps hurting more than helping the President these days.  These politicians who have been in Washington forever (on both sides of the aisle) that seem so out of touch with real Americans are going to be the biggest road block for President Obama.

So, to Chairman Steele, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader Reid - we don't want fighting, we don't want bull-headed, irrational arguments.  We want action.  We want progress for the United States.  Please put aside your personal desires for power and get something accomplished.  The past election was won on a theme of unity and hope.  Found out what that means.

First openly gay world leader

I woke up this morning to this story on CNN.com.  Pretty sweet.

(CNN) -- Iceland's political parties have reached an agreement that will give the country its first female prime minister and the world its first openly gay leader.

Johanna Sigurdardottir, 66, will lead the government when it is sworn in at 6 p.m. (1 p.m. Eastern) on Sunday, her political advisor Hrannar Arnarsson told CNN via e-mail.

A former flight attendant who entered politics via the union movement, Sigurdardottir was minister of social affairs and social security in the outgoing Cabinet, which resigned Monday.

Iceland has been in political turmoil since October, when its currency, stock market and leading banks collapsed amid the global financial crisis. The island nation's Nordic neighbors sent billions of dollars to prop up the economy, as did the International Monetary Fund in its first intervention to support a Western European democracy in decades.

But weekly demonstrations -- some verging on riots -- finally forced Prime Minister Geir Haarde and his coalition to resign en masse on January 26.

The country's president turned to the Social Democratic Alliance party to form a new government, and they selected Sigurdardottir to lead it.

She has been a member of Iceland's Parliament for 30 years, and was in her second stint as minister of social affairs. She started her career as a flight attendant for the airline that became IcelandAir. She was active in the flight attendants' labor union during her 11 years with the airline, according to her official resume.

She briefly led her own political party, which merged with other center-left parties to form the Alliance party.

Sigurdardottir would become Iceland's first female prime minister, although not the North Atlantic nation's first female head of state -- Vigdis Finnbogadottir became its fourth president in 1980.

Sigurdardottir lists author and playwright Jonina Leosdottir, 54, as her spouse on her ministry Web site. She has two children from an earlier marriage.

Her prime ministership may be short-lived. The government she is forming is only due to last until the next elections, which must take place by May and could be held in April.

But a leading British gay and lesbian rights group welcomed her appointment as a milestone.

"It really does matter. It is helpful" to have an openly gay prime minister, said Gary Nunn, a spokesperson for Stonewall UK. "We are trying to foster the ambition that young people can be anything they want to be."

A tradition we can be proud of

It seems for a political blogger to ignore the events of the past week would be just wrong, so I won't.

Although possible, it would be difficult to find a person in the world that isn't aware that the United Stated inaugurated its first African American president last Tuesday.  This was an amazing day for a country steeped in a history of black oppression and I'm certain the collective tears shed by a nation on that day could quench the droughts of many dry lands.  The personal stories of so many who never thought they would see such a day continue to be shared and continue to both inspire and humble.  For the skeptics who claim change won't be easy to come by, I say that while we as a nation face many obstacles - the change has already started.

The election of our first African American president certainly marks 2008 as historically significant and gives us all a reason to reflect.  In addition to this, there was something else that continually gave me pause on inauguration day.  We are a young nation and thus comparatively have few traditions that define our culture.  However, we do have, every 4 or 8 years, a peaceful transition of power that demonstrates the strength and integrity of our democracy.

I found myself becoming increasingly patriotic as Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer shared nuggets of information about the traditions and protocol that accompany the event.  Actions timed down to the minute that have been occurring on this day for well over 200 years.  Something as small as the President sitting on the right of the President-elect as they make their way to the Capital for the inauguration seems such a small detail, but is so significant to the tradition of the transition.

There are no bullets fired, no riots launched.  Partisan politics are put aside for a day as we, as a nation, illustrate to the world and to ourselves the conviction of our democracy.  It might even be said that inauguration day, a peaceful transition of power, is a democracy's finest day.

In a time when our country seems to be facing a mountain of obstacles, I invite you to take a moment to reflect on this peaceful tradition that we can be incredibly proud of.

The Writing Schedule

Those of you who know me well, know that I am a constant failure when it comes to balancing energy across a host of tasks or projects.  A new semester has started, which has consumed the majority of my effort up to this point - which accounts for the lack of blog posts in the past weeks.  My apologies.

  

I believe I am now sort of into the swing of things for the semester and can once again share that focused energy with other endeavors that I enjoy - such as writing!  However, I think for this semester I'm going to try "blogging on a schedule."  

I like to be consistent and I can't promise a post everyday, so I will aim for writing every Sunday, with the occasional "special edition" during the week.  For example, there may be something that happens this week that might inspire a post.

Thanks to you, my committed readers, for your generous words of encouragement as well as your healthy debates.  As always - please share the blog with your friends!

Can you step outside of yourself?

I've taken some time away from writing after the conclusion of the heated election season (although the MN Senate race remains hot and heavy).  There were many great victories along with even greater defeats.  It goes without saying that the election of Barack Obama as President provides forward motion on so many levels for the United States.  I am truly filled with hope for what it to come.

However, on certain days that hope is stifled.  There are days in which I am reminded that while America had a great victory in electing its president, it had many losses when a variety of states chose to deny and take away rights from their gay citizens.

In reflecting on these defeats and considering what might be the best way to move forward, I can't help but think there is something missing from the debate.  It's almost impossible to know what is in fact the best way to move the cause of equal rights forward - but I always come back to one thought:  at the end of the day we are all humans.

When you think about the struggle for human rights that spans our history it essentially comes down to a simple formula: different = threat.  It looks like this.  Group A sees something different about Group B and automatically equates that difference as bad, as somehow a threat to Group A's way of life.  In order to maintain their comfort, Group A seeks to ensure that Group B doesn't enjoy the same basic rights as Group A.  This will give Group A the comfort of not having to learn about Group B and Group A can continue to believe the Group A's beliefs are truth - the last word.

I think the most important thing that is missing, and always has been missing, in the discourse on equality is the ability or willingness to step outside of one's self and truly attempt to understand what it's like for the other group.  As humans, we get so caught up fighting for our side, we have this notion that what we personally believe must be right and the other side must be wrong - no matter what.  We don't take time to time to consider what it must feel like to be on the receiving end of our words.

So as the conversation on gay rights continues, I  would hope that those that fight so hard to ensure that gay people don't have the same basic human rights as they, attempt to understand how it feels to be on the receiving end of the oppression.  This isn't an easy task, it takes a true commitment to understanding what it's like to be someone you know nothing about.  It is truly stepping outside of yourself and entering the heart and mind of another person.  But we are all humans and we all share emotions - so try to understand those emotions and see how you might react.

Consider:

• How might it feel to be told constantly that the relationship with the person you are in love with is not valid?
  
• When all you want to do is live your life with your family and contribute to society, but you are told that you can't because your relationship equates to incest - how might that feel?
• When you want nothing else but to enjoy the same rights of protection in committing yourself to the person you love, and you are told that your love is perverse - how might you feel?
• When people go on television and tell you that you are worse for America than terrorists - how might you feel?
• When people equate your love to that of pedophilia - how might you feel?
• When all you want to do is raise children in a loving, supportive family, and you are told that you can't because your love is morally wrong - how might you feel?
• When you are told that your love will lead to the destruction of society - how might you feel?

I know these questions have been asked before, but I have to wonder if people truly consider them.  Do they actually step outside of their own narrow world view and consider the perspective of others - consider the perspective and life experience of the people they are trying to oppress?  I don't think so.  If they did, they might realize the hate in their words and they might just realize the irrational basis for their argument.

Step outside of yourself once in awhile and whole-heartedly consider what it's like to be someone else.  You just might be surprised what you discover.