If I Were President of All of The Things

In fifth grade, along with the rest of my class, I made an autobiography. I still have it. It’s frayed and yellowed and falling apart, but I have it. There were pages for family history, special interests, and travel. One of the pages was reserved for goals. In mine, I said that when I grow up, I would like to be

1. A horse race judge
2. A magician
3. The first lady on the moon
4. The first lady president, or
5. A vet.

The thing is, I don’t think that back then I really wanted to be the first woman president, even though it’s the only job listed that I provided a visual aid for.

I’m pretty sure that I included that particular job as a goal because it sounded lofty and important and in elementary school, I was still all for ass-kissing, following the rules, and getting good grades.

Today, there’s no way I’d want to be the President of the United States. Talk about a stressful job. Numbnuts and crazies all over the world are killing people. Men, women, and children are starving on streets mere blocks from some of the wealthiest homes, and, as President, you have to look presentable almost all the time. Probably not the very best job for me.

I still think it’d be cool to be a magician. Anyway, even though I have no desire to be President of the US, I do think it’d be pretty cool to be like, the President of The Universe, Time, and Nature or something like that. The President of All The Things. That could be pretty awesome. Think about it.

Stuck in traffic? No problem! Poof the other cars to the other lane, or, better yet, fly or teleport where you need to go.

It is of course tempting to say that I’d be able to eat a kazillion nachos and never gain weight, that I’d never feel tired or overwhelmed, that I’d not see the point to giving my wrinkles The Finger in the mirror… but I recognize the danger in tampering with time and space and calories.

If I were the President of All The Things, there is some stuff I’d like to change and to do. Here are some of them.

I’d grant everybody the power to see that we’re more alike than different. Special needs kids and kid kids are just kids. Their mamas are just mama-ing and parenting. It’s mostly the same.

That our religions and our Gods are beautiful and important and mostly meaningful and that the rules were made by men. That we’re mortal and flawed and that fighting over the differences in our beliefs is the same as hate – the opposite of God and community and The Point of It.

Everybody would know, without a doubt, that they are perfectly imperfect, exactly as they are. Crooked smiles, big ears, fat butts, ugly toes and self doubt. We’re all okay. Better than okay even. Perfectly imperfect.

While I wouldn’t change who my little boy is, I’d give him the power of clearer language. Not because he really needs it to be who he will become but because I know that when somebody asks him to repeat himself, that it is frustrating and makes him feel icky.

I’d definitely make it so that nobody ever feels icky about himself.

Friends. I’d make sure everybody has the type of friends that they need in all of the situations and alonenesses they need them in. Cruelty would not exist outside things like three snow days being a lot of snow days.

I’d make Our Land happen. A place where empathy and wonder rule. I’d remind myself that how I spend my next five minutes matters. That how I speak to myself is important and that how I interact with the world matters, and that how I interact with my little boy is my legacy. 

You want to know the very best part?

I am already The President of All The Things.

We all are.
Because it starts here. With us. At home, and with ourselves.

Each of us has the power and the bravery to accept ourselves.

We are allowed to have compassion for others, even when what they’re doing looks broken from our tiny worldview. We are allowed to change the world and to change ourselves and how we see it. Now.

We’re able to have empathy. Wonder. We’re allowed to see the beauty through the darkness and to have laughter and light.

With deep breaths and deep love, we can change the ourselves. We can change the world.

It starts here. I’m game for trying, anyway.

Want to join me?

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This has been a Finish the Sentence Friday post, where writers and bloggers each finish a sentence, and link up. This week’s sentence is “You should vote for me for president because…”
Your hosts:
Me (Finding Ninee)
Cohosts are Michelle at Crumpets and Bollocks (the sentence thinker upper) and Anna from Fitfunner. Want to know about joining? Join our Facebook page for updates.