Is it Friday or Saturday?
No, it is Sunday. The football games are on and the golf tournament is in its final round. Yeah. That makes it Sunday. It is so easy to lose track.
These last few months and days, confused and jumbled as they are, have seen weeks of despair and days of great elation. Monday became like Friday and the weekend had no meaning.
This week brought an end to some of the pain. And the last few days have reminded us that we can do better.
Mostly, in the last two days a space has opened we can stop, breathe, and contemplate how we got here and where we are going.
Both politically and personally.
The election of Kamala Harris as the Vice-President of the United States and her remarks about standing on others shoulders started a personal calculation of the people around us who are our villages.
It was not long ago that a female lawyer could only come into a courtroom if her client’s case was called. The men gathered in the galleries or jury boxes and built networks, shared tips and stories. They all wore jackets and ties. Their footwear went from wingtips to cowboy boots. The women sat in the hallways away from the machinations of court, wearing skirts (or dresses) of ‘appropriate length’, the obligatory shiny blouse with big floppy bow, a matching jacket, nylons and heels.
For her acceptance speech, Kamala Harris wore a white pant suit a silky ‘pussybow” blouse and heels. All of it a symbol that we have grown. While campaigning she did not wear heels, she wore sneakers!!!
And she did that because 30+ years ago the female lawyers (and a lot of other women) started saying “no”.
We all stand on someone else’s shoulders. It may be family members. It may be someone we never met. It may be someone who saw something in you. It may be something that someone else wrote or said. That lift, that reason to believe in yourself, is handed to you in a moment. You may recognize it immediately. Or you may take years, a lifetime, before you recognize the life changing person.
So while we adjust to the new political landscape in the United States, maybe, just maybe, the world, all of us, will stop, breathe and look at the ones that have made this day, this moment, possible.
Thank them.
Talkin' to Myself 
A truly glorious article Gael, and it’s grand to hear from you… It’s certainly been a turbulent year, and now hopefully the future for equality and justice for all, will be able to restart and resume making some positive progress again…. Cheers .. 😊💙🌏
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A fine message, Gael. Your insight shows how far women have come, even if there is still a way to go.
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Ivor, you are never far from my mind. I hope you are safe and well! I have so much trying to come out of my soul right now. I cried, I laughed, I sang, I even did a little dance. And then I found that I just needed some space to think about all of it. Still thinking. Do take care, my friend.
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Thank you!
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Yes, there’s still a long way to go, to recover from the grooves of hatred and divisions that Trump created 🎈🌏🎺
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An excellent and inspiring piece! We must never forget those trailblazers who led us to this place.
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Very thoughtful — and thought provoking! Thank you for this piece!
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Well said. When I received the alert that the race was finally called I let out the biggest sigh of relief, while standing in the checkout line at the grocery store.
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You described my dress attire exactly Gael. 40 years ago while working for The Man in San Francisco. And my attire for a job interview before that for the position of Hospital Administrator where I was asked “Why are you here?” “We will not be hiring a woman for this position.” I fought. I lost. I had completed my internship there. I was qualified. Except for one thing. I was a woman.
30 years later my daughter succeeded, being hired for a position which had only been held by a man before. Shoulders.
Recently with RBG flashbacks of those years, so many defeated memories of mine reappeared. Our generation. We lived it. We survived it. We fought. And on Saturday, like you, I was crying, jumping, dancing and cheering as I listened to VP Elect Kamala Harris give her acceptance speech.
Thank you Gael for a great writing on a great moment in history.
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The history we share needs to be shared with out kids and grandkids. We can’t let anyone forget the hurdles we jumped, the fights that we fought, the internal words from relatives and bosses and coworkers and even friends that held us back. We did a lot. There is more to do. Lots more. Keep the faith, my dear friend. We stand, as always, together. Much love to you!
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I think I would have let out a scream! It is a happy day.
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We need to also remember that WE are trailblazers for the generations after us. It is a building process!
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You are welcome. Hopefully, I will be writing more.
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So true! 🙏
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Very well said. Thank you for reminding us about the fact that we are here because of the hard work and sacrifices of so many people.And we have so much to do so that others can reap the benefits in years to come. I love the pay it forward concept.
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