Political Acts

Before Dublin's autism diagnosis,

I followed that circus they show on the news.

Reading the line-by-line, talking about it, made me feel more responsible,

more just in my daily decisions.

I judged "those" who don't treat the news as part of their daily meditation.

...as if watching political candidates walk the tightrope made me a more whole person, mother.

I judged other moms, in particular. 

Dublin's condition has taught me that there is more to political participation than listening to sound bites.

That spending an extra minute listening to a mother vent about not getting the right treatment in the lobby of a therapy center (rather than shoving my face and avoiding eye contact in my iPhone) is in fact a political act.

....but of course, I will do my research before I vote. DUH.