Can't believe I'm saying this: On gay marriage ...

Of all the things I get worked up about during political campaigns, among all the reasons I would or would not vote for a candidate, and of all the ridiculous and painful indecencies I can complain about in our modern, first world, one of the things that irks me the most is that gay people are so often considered second-class citizens.  And that other people feel they have the right to judge them and take away their rights because their way of life is not one with which they identify.  I just don't get it.  I also don't fully understand homosexuality.  I have tried and tried to imagine myself making out with a woman, and though I find women sexy at times, I just haven't yet found myself wanting to be naked with one.  Sorry.  Still, I don't believe that people would or could choose this life, and I know for sure they can't imagine wanting to be with a person of the opposite sex, like I do.  GOD FORBID these two human beings might want to create a life together and/or be kind to other people, like many heterosexual people are incapable of doing.  Whatevs.  I get so worked up about it I can barely articulate my thoughts.  (See?)

But in the scheme of putting things into perspective, we are some lucky bitches that we can fight and argue about this and that we even have the balls to attack this issue in our country.  There are places in the world where you'd get HANGED AND QUARTERED just for suggesting it, or have your hand (or other unmentionable) cut off, or be deported at the very least.  Seriously, we should thank our lucky stars that this is something we can even talk about freely.

In another light, aren't we f'ing lucky that this is something we can lose sleep over, and not over our children's dying of hunger or over worry that our leprous limbs might fall off, or over our whole village's washing into the arroyo-turned-river down the hill?

Gay marriage is our fight and our issue and I will continue to fight this fight and make things fairer for all those whose civil rights have been compromised.  But wow ... thank you, mysterious luck, for making my life so good that this can even be a concern of mine.

The first post

Full disclosure here:  I have a very lucky and wonderful life.  I wake up every day knowing that I am fortunate and lucky to be where I am and to have the life that I do.  But I can't help bitching about every-day annoyances and grievances.  I need some help with this ... perspective, yes, but also some understanding and some social therapy for working through these things.  Sometimes I do fear that I am the worst kind, as "Harry" would have said:  I think I'm an "NJ" but I'm a "J."  Meaning - I think I'm not judgmental but I actually am.  I also need help with this.  Over the last few years and in particular over the last few months, I have been humbled by those with differing opinions and ways of life from my own, and how they can show me things I hadn't considered before.

I'm going to work through this via my blog, and I'm going to hope I get more positive swift kicks in the ass than I get more "J" people all over me.  I'm not perfect and I mess up all day every day, but I am always trying to learn and make myself a better person.