News-less

I turned off the news at 11:00 pm on Tuesday, November 8th. Clinton had just lost Pennsylvania. CNN was desperately looking for more blue votes in districts who hadn’t fully reported their results. I turned it all off and went to bed. I haven’t watched or read any news since.

I feel like I’m the child who stuck a penny in the light socket. It was supposed have been a magical flash and the world would be different. Instead, a jolt went through my system and the lights went out. And I got burned. It’s not the fault of the penny or the socket. In fact, there is no fault. Everything was very carefully explained; the cause, the effect, the science. It’s just what happens. It still hurts.

Without the news, nothing seems any different. I drive to work and then drive home. The sun rises and sets again. But when I’ve driving, it’s like I know that they’re going to remove the supports from all the bridges. They haven’t yet, but they will. There will be a point where I will no longer know if I am safe. There’s a bit of that feeling now when I’m just sitting at home. It even startles me out of my sleep.

We’re told that the supports are not needed anymore. Without them, the roads will be wider and smoother. I just don’t see how it can be true. They were put in place very deliberately. They were designed to hold up the weight of all the people using them. It’s obvious from the wear on them that the stress is almost overwhelming them. No one wants to listen to experts anymore though.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Only, I can’t see any route forward that doesn’t cross one of those bridges. So I hope I’m not needing one when it fails. If I am, and it’s in the news, maybe I won’t notice.