Dear 2019,
I have a confession. IÂ wince when I look at the American flag.
It horrifies me to admit this. I think somewhere down deep, I’ve buried the thought that the flag of my country has been hijacked by a sector of the population that doesn’t represent anything that I was raised to believe in. For the past two years these people, and the 45th administration of the United States, have proudly flown Old Glory as a representation of their “great†America, while they simultaneously project racism, white privilege, mass shootings, misogyny, climate change denial, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia and just about every other phobia out there.
When 2018 was coming to an end, I started to wonder why I’ve been letting such a small (but vocal) percentage of the population erode the pride I’ve always felt for being an American.
When Yoda and I spent five months driving around the country in 2010-2011, we dove deep into the heartbeat of America. It was, and still is, beating strong. We visited states all over the country—red states, blue states, north states, south states. No matter what the state, we always encountered kind, interesting, hard working, and delightfully unique people and places whose stories touched me to the core.
My husband and I own a production company and have spent the past couple of years producing a TV show called Finding Real America (this is the show we were filming when the Pomeranian Incident occurred and radically changed our lives in the blink of an eye). Over the past two years, as the world became louder, angrier and more divided, my passion for our show has exploded. What started out as a whimsical series about road trips has turned into a celebration of people and places that make our country great (I started to look for a different adjective, but dammit 45, I will not let you take the word great out of my vocabulary). There is so much to love about the United States of America.
In 2017, I wanted to move to another country.
In 2018, I wanted to bury my head in the sand to protect myself from the constant onslaught of horrific political news.
But now, in 2019, I want to, once again, fall in love with the USA.
Isn’t it the most damaged who most desperately need to be loved, warts and all? Love lets the light in so that healing can happen. Instead of turning my back on the American flag, perhaps the most powerful way to encourage change is to love and celebrate those parts of the U.S. that best represent who we are as a people.
This is where my annual promise to the New Year comes into play: My New Year’s resolution is to love my country.
I have spent the past two years wondering where the country I’ve grown up in has disappeared to. Well now I’m pretty sure it’s been here all along, but I just needed to open my eyes to see it. This is something I plan on reminding myself each time I see the Red, White, and Blue.
In closing, Year 2019, I think I love you already.
Sincerely,
Kee Kee
P.S. The theme song for our show was written and recorded by my awesome husband, Eric Troyer.
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