I planned to decamp to Mexico

I started learning Spanish in earnest a few weeks ago. There were a number of reasons, the first and foremost being that I wanted to leave the country. At the very least I wanted a hidey hole outside of the US to watch this fire burn from afar. A second reason was that we have a couple that cleans our building and they are such hard workers, always smiling, but with no facility with English. I wanted to connect with them.

I spent a fair amount of time researching what it would take to move to Mexico and, if am being honest with myself, I still think it's a good idea to have an out. But something important happened last week.

During a general discussion about the current state of affairs with a couple who came into my store, the husband, a disabled vet, said this to me: "Don't you fucking dare. I get why you want to, but I didn't serve this country for you to run away from it when we need you the most. Stay and fight."

Silence is not an option, folks. We must all stand up for each other, for what we believe in as humans, and most importantly, we have to speak for those who do not have a voice.