I’m not one to post my personal feelings and opinions on Facebook. I appreciate and tend to guard my privacy. But I woke up this morning after a restless night of sleep to memories of Trump onstage, standing next to his young son who looked like a forgotten boy, unsupported by adults, and I remembered echoes of his hollow acceptance speech.

I jumped on my phone, on Facebook, to try to connect with people who might feel as I do, to commiserate as conscientious objectors in mourning.

I see sorrow, anger, and disbelief.

I see genuine hopefulness, too.

I’ll cling to that, because it’s all I’ve got right now.

I see people who are afraid that we’ll slide back into a time of outright racism, homophobia, sexism, a time when you and your loved ones can be physically, verbally, emotionally assaulted for practicing a particular religion or identifying as a particular gender or being born on the other side of invisible lines for just being anything other than a white man born in America.

I made myself a promise this morning:

I will not take my position in this country, or in this world, for granted.
I will NOT participate in subtle or overt racism, sexism, homophobia, or in anything that implies or states the inherent “betterness” of one group of people.
I will stand up for my rights and for the rights of my fellow Americans to be exactly who we are, and to fight the fear that we may be entering a time when we could once again be penalized for this.

Because I have to do something: I promise I won’t do nothing.

You can contact Emilie Clasgens Wilson @ http://www.mindbodycenterforintegrativemedicine.com/