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The Times They ARE a Changin'

By Gloria Diaz

Check out Gloria's Blog — Edge of Gloria!

Fort Wayne Reader

2015-07-16

I woke up (late) a few Friday mornings ago, and I’m ashamed to admit that I got right on Facebook via my smartphone. It’s the quickest way for me to get news. The week was finals week, and after hours of working on a four-point paper the week before (I got all four points by the way) I had one last class and an online final. So I pretty much had no idea what was going on. Or rather, it seemed like Facebook was full of one thing: the Confederate flag brouhaha. I had no idea the Supreme Court was going to decide on Gay Marriage.

Don’t know about everyone else, but it seems like the national vibe has been pretty bleak these last few months. One bright spot, the first Triple Crown winner in three decades, I completely missed. I guess I’d had my hopes dashed for a good long time. Plus, I felt guilty watching. Once, in my very leaner years, I had dreams of being the first female jockey to win the Kentucky Derby. Infinity pounds gained and years later, I haven’t had a horseback riding lesson since high school, and the last horse I rode was on a trail at Pokagon. Another dream not realized, and horse racing seemed to be a sort of lambs to the slaughter. I knew full well how delicate a three year old Thoroughbred’s legs were, and plenty of horses have been destroyed on the way to glory. Horse racing didn’t seem like the breathless fantasy world of beautiful creatures born to run fast. It turned into a nail-biting pursuit to watch, saying a silent prayer that no one, horse or rider would be hurt. I felt if I didn’t watch, everything would be okay. And I missed it. Figures.

But when it came to humans, business as usual. Shootings, stabbings, and race always came up. Being black was dangerous. And even going to church wasn’t safe anymore. Well, why not? Going to school or seeing a movie or going to the mall was dangerous, the next step, unfortunately, was church. No matter how you feel about religion, people gathering together to worship and getting gunned down feels like an especially low blow. But I knew nothing would be done. People will still wring their hands about guns, and people who have procured weapons legally will continue to wreak havoc. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Add in what seems like constant rain and cool temperatures, and we’ve been transported to Seattle, only without the laid-back cool or the guys throwing fish around.

But, as I said, I got on Facebook and discovered Gay Marriage is okay. Not just in one state, but the ENTIRE NATION. I remember the first column I wrote on Gay Marriage a little over ten years ago. I said if it did pass, I’d go to law school. Now that this has opened up, think of the divorce potential! I just may have to talk to my advisor!
However, I don’t think I’m going to go to law school. At least, not yet. I have no doubt there will be more divorces, but my spidey senses tell me that same sex marriages will have a lower rate of divorce. Time will tell if I’m right. But considering that men and women think differently anyway, couples who are same sex at least understand how the other thinks. Guys KNOW why they leave the toilet seat up. Women KNOW why if they are going to the store for one thing, they have to check out every single corner of the store. Especially the clearance aisle, because you never know.

And I have to remind myself of that frequently. Health care, Gay Marriage, the Confederate flag no longer being cool, pot legalization, Bernie and Hillary. Are we on the threshold of a new age? I missed the 1970s and the 1990s, are they poised to come back again? Is nearly everyone in the U.S. going to “Have a nice day?” Are we going to mellow out enough to cut back on the fistfuls of Prozac and Xanax and Lexapro we’re all taking in order to “maintain”? Can we believe enough to see change in our lifetime?

I’m seeing it. I can’t quite believe it, but I’m seeing it.