Member-only story
F*** Your Thoughts & Prayers
And moments of silence don’t change laws
I was sitting in a medical facility daydreaming about the next few years, while my wife sat propped on the bed next to me.
“Shit.” I couldn’t prevent the word from slipping out of my mouth, as I scrolled through Instagram.
“What happened?”
It was already a long week. Between doctors visits, changed travel plans, and family drama, neither of us wanted any bad news, yet I knew that she’d eventually glance at her phone.
“Elementary school shooting in Texas,” I replied.
We stared at each other and shook our heads unison. No other words needed to be exchanged and no recitation of our emotions would do any good in the moment. We’ve talked about our dismay when it comes to the state of the world and specifically the state of our nation. We’ve dreamt about taking our family and escaping to either of our parents’ homelands. Maybe even purchasing a home in Ghana and starting anew. We spoke about it like children speak about the future, through rose-colored lenses — as if these dreams would solve all of our problems. And, who could blame us?
But, there was no time to dwell. Our attention shifted to the doctor who entered the room, whose smile you could see despite the mask draped across…
