People who don't give a damn about you

It seems like every time there's an election, the masks come off people that I care about most deeply.

There are those kindred spirits, who are able to demonstrate empathy. You are truly connected to them on a deep level. You may have differences of opinion, but you appreciate what one another brings to each others lives. You would never do anything intentionally to harm them or bring them harm. There really isn't a mask on them.

Then there are people I have known for most of my life and family members I have known all my life that I thought cared about me. For me, it's my grandmother. It seems like every day she posts something about her support of Trump. I am out to her. She knows my husband, and we spend holidays at her house.

I tried to explain to her why Trump and the conservative people and justices he would usher in would seek to harm me and many others. It only seemed to strengthen her resolve to support Trump. The number of her posts went sharply upward.

It saddens me. I deal with a lot of anxiety and self-esteem issues from growing up in a small, rural town. Trump reminds me of the school yard bullies that tormented me for so much of school. Yet she is on the side of the bully.

She is not the only one. But she is the one that hurts me the most.

I know people get heated during elections. I give people a lot of leeway since we are all held hostage to our beliefs, to some extent.

In order to protect my own mental health during all of this, I have her posts hidden from me and I'm avoiding her until the election is over. She isn't trying to reach out to me anyway. So it isn't that hard.

But it's still heartbreaking that people choose to actively support those that would seek to inflict pain on people they supposedly care about.

Thanks for listening.