Silver lining

[madamesilverspurs]

It ain’t easy living in one of the reddest spots in a purple state that went for Hillary. Name-calling, vulgar gestures and getting your car keyed are not unheard of. With all that, and given the exceptional nastiness exhibited by Trump supporters, I had to consider whether or not to leave my numerous bumper stickers in place. It didn’t take long to decide to let people know that I absolutely did not vote for the disaster that is splattering the country. Decision made, I headed off to the grocery store on the day after the election.

As I was loading my purchases into the trunk, a car pulled into the empty space next to mine. Getting out of her car, the driver walked over and said “You have no idea how happy I am to see your bumper stickers!”

I smiled and said, “Thanks, that’s not the response I usually get!” Then I noticed that she was wiping some tears away. “Are you okay?” I asked.

“I’ve just felt so alone,” she said. “I’ve been so frightened, I didn’t have anyone I could talk to.”

We stood there and talked for about twenty minutes. After introducing myself, I gave her some information about our local Democratic office and let her know that the office is always open during the week and that we have regularly scheduled events and get-togethers. Turns out she’s another busy working parent who tries to keep up while juggling the demands of family and work; she was pleased to learn that our office is only a couple of blocks away from her job, and she’s looking forward to stopping in and meeting some like-minded folks. I gave her a “Proud to be a Democrat” button, she took my hand in both of hers and said, “I’m so glad I had to shop today, and I really do love your car!” She headed into the store, and I drove home with an unexpected smile.

WE go on.


.

[bdamomma]

1. yes, I like

your last line. We go on and fight back.

[Freddie]

2. My bumper sticker is still on too

And it's staying on indefinitely.

[hamsterjill]

3. Those chance meetings are always special.

I'm glad you were there when she needed someone to talk to. I've had those moments before. They are very special encounters.

Yes, we go on. I'm still angry and bitter, but I'm working on that.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. That is one beautiful story, my dear madamesilverspurs!

Thank you for telling it to us!

Yes. WE go on.

[cilla4progress]

5. I agree

I am seeing a coalescing of progressive interests and activists.

Some silver lining, though.

Glad you had this good experience!

[monmouth4]

6. Love stories like this, gives me hope..n/t

[No Vested Interest]

7. It's called outreach, and that's a good thing. nt

[Pacifist Patriot]

8. Thank you so much for this.

It's beautiful. I do believe you've helped her heal a little.

[mopinko]

9. i concur.

i used to drive a chevy suburban that was covered, literally, in letter size stickers. i had the constitution on the hood, and the downing street memo on both sides.
i live in the blue, but whenever i traveled to where it was more purple, people were so happy to see it.
i used to get notes on my windshield once in a while, and they always put a long lasting smile on my face.

we will go on.

[sheshe2]

10. Thanks for sharing, mss.

That gives me hope and yes, we go on.

[ErikJ]

11. I have a Vets for Bernie sticker on my RV.

No problem yet. I inherited it when I bought it and just left it on even though I'm not a vet.

[mountain grammy]

12. Thank you for sharing that.

I'm in a red Colorado county also. Took my signs down, but my neighbor's Trump sign stayed put for several days.. My husband said, gee, I never thought of him as a racist. Yeah, right! I knew.

[MontanaMama]

13. I was afraid to put stickers on my vehicle

or signs in my yard for fear that wing nut trolls would vandalize my car and home. I'm ashamed I succumbed to fear but I did. These people are seriously crazy.

I found a hopeful story in my hometown paper about a Deplorable who got fired from his job at a car dealership for not only refusing to work on a car with a Clinton bumper sticker but idiotically posting about it with a photo and a vulgar message to his FB page. I bought my car from this dealership last year and when I found out they canned this POS, I called them today to say thank you.

http://missoulian.com/news/local/vulgar-clinton-posts-cost-missoula-car-dealership-employee-his-job/article_4f62dd28-4c11-548e-b98b-2ac8fca8901d.html

[Hekate]

14. Thanks for the day-brightener

[lark]

15. Good reminder.

We actually do outnumber them, in any sane country, Hillary would be president and we'd be safe. I really wish the west coast could secede and I would move there with my old friends. Of course, Drumpf wouldn't allow that, CA is too rich, he will want to take their $$ too. He'd probably declare war.

[japple]

16. Still got my Bernie sticker on my car, Bernie button on my purse.

I am still hoping for a miracle.

[FoxNewsSucks]

17. I travel around KS, NE, IA, MO, and OK

Always have had 1-2 stickers on my car since the Bush Dark Ages. Often, I wear some kind of anti-republican t-shirt.

Out in the reddest, most rural areas, I have always been surprised about the number of times a local has commented about them and said they were "the only one" in town. They're not, they just didn't know about each other.

I'm always glad to see other people's stickers, shirts, or whatever.