I didn’t march on Saturday.
I feel a whole host of different emotions about this. Shame, guilt, embarrassment, envy, frustration, etc.
I wish I had marched.
I wish I had put P. in the carrier and pinned a “Future Nasty Woman” to the front of the panel and taken her downtown to join the thousands of others who cared enough to turn up and protest even though he really is #notourpresident because we don’t have a president.
My Mum was visiting and I wish I’d taken her downtown too, three generations of Nasty Women, ready to roar. I would have left E. at home with Q., not because there was no room for men at the march but because E. wouldn’t have been able to handle the crowd and the noise.
I wish I’d turned up, just like I did at the giant “No” rally before the 1995 Quebec referendum. That protest felt like it really mattered. It felt like it was important that I was there.
I think Saturday would have been the same.
Here’s the truth: I didn’t actually know there was a march in my city.
I’ve been dealing with a couple of issues with P. in the last week or so and it’s led me to stay offline as much as possible, far away from Dr. Google and the scary scary answers you can always find with any search inquiry. I’ve been off social media. I haven’t been reading the newspaper.
I have been, as I belatedly realized late Saturday afternoon, almost scarily ill-informed.
I had my reasons.
But in a world where White House representatives refer to “alternative facts” when confronted with the deliberate falsehoods they’ve put forward, my reasons aren’t good enough.
From now on, I am paying attention.
And when the next time comes, I will march.
What about you? Did you march, even if you don’t live in the U.S.A.?
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Res Cogitatae 
I did march on Saturday (in Chicago) and I was happy/proud of doing so. Trump scares me so much- I hope that millions of people marching in opposition to him and his policies makes him think.
I didn’t march. But I so wish I did! I live in Canada too, and I didn’t know until the night before about the marches in cities close to me. I do have 2 friends who marched in Washington and 1 who marched in LA. I like to believe i was marching in spirit, but again, wish I had been there in person! I’m so thankful to every single person who did march
I didn’t, even though I was dying to go. I live northwest of the city (same city as you, I believe 😉 ) — no train service on the weekend, and the closest subway line is a half-hour drive away. And it was closed for maintenance!! If I didn’t know these things are planned well in advance, I would think it was a plot. 😉 It was also FIL’s 88th birthday, so even if I’d gone, I would probably have had to turn around & head home again before it was all over, to be back in time to head to the party. Oh well. I did enjoy watching it all on TV.
I didn’t, but there are so many ways to be involved or become involved. The march was a single day — the movement will keep rolling and rolling and rolling. Big picture.
I didn’t, and I’m a bit ashamed of that (though would have if I’d had someone to go with), but I am fully supportive of those who did. I’ve always been quite vocal in my peer group about women’s issues, so feel that I do do my part too, as Mel said.
You’ve written what I’m feeling (except I also knit, but didn’t knit a pussy hat to send to Washington, because I didn’t know about pussy hats until it was a shade too late). It didn’t occur to me that there would be a march in my city (Auckland) until I saw pictures of other parents from our daycare marching with their two little ones.