Coffee with Katie - Meet Me In The Middle
I used to work at a company that had these random deep one opening questions to break the ice and loosen up the room. I don’t remember the questions that were asked but do remember two very specific answers I gave that kind of made the room pause.
“My story of growing up in America is not the same as someone else’s. I always try to remember that when asked a general question about politics.” I mean, I grew up in a small town of 3k of people. My experience there was different than the other 2,999. Similar. Some. Maybe. Did they live in poverty? Two parents or one? Small house? Big house? Trailer? Lunch Program? Sports? Academics? Tutors? Just even 300 seniors all had different stories. Imagine the entire country full of rural towns and big cities. The stories are infinite.
“I wish everyone started at the same starting line. Who’s to say someone isn’t better suited for my job? Better suited to run Dixie Grace? They just started life seven steps behind me and didn’t have the opportunities that I did.” How do we really know what we’re truly good at and how much of it was opportunity or say generational wealth or some other factor that threw them miles behind (or ahead) the average starting point. That’s the thing, there’s so many starting points for each individual. How do you measure? Everyone’s stories are so different.
One of the VPs and I always talked about starting a podcast called Meet in the Middle. We cleared an office in a political debate once. Most other conversations were pretty calm. We both generally sat in a state of “wtf” regarding politics and shook our heads. This past weekend, that mantra of Meet Me In The Middle turned into a prayer. I thought I’d share it with y’all.
To the leaders of the right, I grew up in three Christian denominations and Catholicism. I understand the big evangelical piece of the right. I didn’t see gender growing up though. Never have. I fell in love with my best friend who makes even the straightest couples, men and women, envious because she is the most amazing person on the planet. Anyone would be honored to have Jen as a partner and the list of men and women willing to tell you that would be very long. We’ve never thrown it anyone’s face. We’ve never acted out of character. We’ve never been indecent in public. We contribute to society every single day. I was a Mom at 15 with a support system around me. I chose to have Sadie. Support system is the operative word there. Had I not had it, different choices would have probably been made. I was r*ped when I was 18 which didn’t result in having to make a decision. I was a “lucky” one. There’s impossible decisions women have to make everyday. A blanket isn’t an answer when individuals have their own stories. I don’t have an answer but right now I don’t feel like there is much of a table open for discussion. I’d like to see more empathy and understanding, an open table for discussion that includes some acceptance. Lord, let these leaders meet me somewhere in the middle.
To the leaders of the left, I am scraping by with bloody fingernails to hold on to a business I built on a dining room table. That was doubling and tripling in size year over year. I watch small businesses close daily and all I hear is how the policies are “working”. They aren’t. The middle class is disappearing and I don’t give a sh*t what Wall Street numbers are telling you. I’ve lost so much and to see this daily is insulting. You’re not listening. I’ve worked every single day of my life mostly as a single mother and I understand helping others. I want to. You’ve taken away my ability to. I’d like to see better focus on the economy and understanding of the middle class, along with small business. Lord, let these leaders meet me somewhere in the middle.
Me and my story have no place left on either side so there’s got to be someone out there to meet me in the middle. There has to be others out there that are stuck in this impossible rock and hard place. Like me, waiting in the middle.
To all of you, I understand your anger, your sadness, your frustrations. I have many of the same feelings. Please, I beg of you, each of you, do not let these frustrations and anger turn into hatred. Once that hatred takes over, hope can’t live and no leader can fix that. It’s something we won’t come back from as a nation. We’re dancing on the cliff of it now. Please, come back, and meet in the middle.
Lord, I need some help. Send me clear thoughts in my decisions about Dixie Grace. Help my work that I put in get us caught up, to maintain payroll and the bills, and to see us to other side of the dark times we find ourselves in. Make it fun again and Dixie Grace a place where people want to come. Protect my health in the hard times, Lord you and I both know paying for a heart attack isn’t an option right now. I will put in the hours and the work but Lord, I need you to meet me in the middle.
I hope each of you see the transparency and my heart because I’ve left it all in these words. Times are hard and Lord knows, there’s a lot of dark right now. I hold on to hope. I keep the faith. I hope each of you do also. Just meet me in the middle.
XoxoX
Katie
