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We all knew going in that this Thanksgiving might be difficult. America is a house divided. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that we’d be sitting down to break bread with Humans who do not agree with our politics. Family or friends — it didn’t matter. Everyone was going to face an Us vs Them discussion. You could make book on it.
For all of us, on either side of the Great American Divide, it was going to be a tricky navigation. For me, the big question was how do I hold onto my principles without a showdown that ruins the holiday for anyone in the blast zone?
I did manage to pull it off. As I’m sure many of you reading this also did. Especially the women. From the time we enter this world, we are taught to swallow our emotions to make those around us more comfortable. So last week, when confronted with a devout drinker of the Koolaide, I took a deep breath and swallowed my reply.
I knew it was pointless to disagree. No one wins.
But here’s the thing if we conform to keep the peace — we are the ones who suffer. The bile from our swallowed emotions churns and bubbles within us. We have doubts about our nonresponse and replay the scenario in our minds. We deal with an emotional hangover as we attempt to untangle the complicated web of today’s issues superimposed upon a…
