Need to heal? Set up a Zoom reunion
A long time ago, I worked in Washington, DC. I still consider it one of the most wonderful times of my life. I loved walking to the Capitol each morning. I loved playing softball on the Mall. I loved meeting other staffers whom I know to this day. Heck, I even fell in love with another Congressional staffer (and with three grown kids, we are still married, 30 years later). I love DC with a passion. I love the West Wing with a passion. I pretty much cry at the drop of the hat when I think of our nation's capitol.
And this week, I cried. A lot.
Things that made me cry: Watching people storm our capitol. Thinking of the scared, young Congressional staffers who hid inside. Thinking of those who were wise enough to hide the electoral college votes? And there were things that made me angry: Thinking of that man sitting at the Speaker's desk. Thinking of the loser walking out with a beautiful lectern with a grin on his face. Thinking of those who have fought for more than 200 years to protect this capitol and the disservice done to them by a rioting mob of Americans. And thinking of the man who incited the mob from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Well, I don't think I have enough words for that feeling.
I was thinking this week of the depths of feeling I had, and I realized one of them is the profound love for that building. Much of it is rooted in our history and pride in this country. But I think some of it is rooted in memory.
Living and working in D.C. was an incredibly rich part of my life. I feel so honored to have been able to do it. And lessons I gained in that short chapter continue to inform my life today. And the friendships have been everlasting.
So perhaps that's why we are pulling together another Zoom. A bunch of us who worked together back then are going to meet for the second time to check in. (The first time, at the start of the pandemic, feels like a lifetime ago now.) Because right now, I need to see other people who believe in democracy. My old friends from DC days have gone into local and state governments, working on the environment, transportation or education. They have done a lot of good with their lives since we met along ago. I need to see other people who are spending their lives to do good and who believe our government is salvageable in these difficult times. I need to remember a day when those of us who worked for Republicans and Democrats were friends, played on a softball team together and heck, even married one another.
I know this week was about much more than that building. I know we have so much reckoning to do with what is wrong with our society and the deep inequities in it. I also know we need to look at what allowed this entire chapter to enfold as it has. I am not minimizing any of this tough work ahead.
But today, I am just thinking of that building, that center of our democracy.
I am sure many of you have your own stories about working in DC. A lot of Congressional staffers have passed through that beautiful building over the years. I hope you can reconnect with your own friends of days gone by, maybe even over Zoom.
In the meantime, I may binge this weekend on some West Wing episodes. That's another kind of therapy that feels good right now.
-
Lauri Hennessey worked on Capitol Hill 30 years ago. She is the CEO of League of Education Voters in Washington State and on the Board of the National Women's Political Caucus/Washington State Chapter. @LauriAHennessey @edvoters