I’m back, and I couldn’t be happier. I was thrilled on the morning of Nov. 7, when I was awakened by the barking of the dogs of the mail dog sled coming around the mountain in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Quebec.
Naw. It was just the banging of the pipes pushing heat into the house that shook me out of my dream of the far North, a slow, very vivid, early winter dream with a happy ending.
Up early, She hit me with the good news. Maine Dems had brushed off the dust of the past and stormed into the capitol to rearrange the seating.
I don’t know, the dream was kind of fun. I had become a big favorite there in Kangiqsualujjuaq. I was even given an Inuit name, “Aglakti,” which means “person who makes words stand in order or song maker.” True story.
It seems that they discovered I am, as you all already know, a true animist, and Animism is the Inuit religion. How did they know?
In those last seconds of dreamworld, I remember trading a copy of my book “Will Write For Food” for an ancient, all-terrain motor bike from an Inuit Girl Scout leader with a long Kardashian hairstyle and setting out for home.
Truth be known, I’m happy to be back and to have been spared a lifetime of whale chowder and creamed seal dip.
Even worse, had I fled to Ireland, I might have spent my last few days face down on the bar in O’Flaherty’s Pub on Bridge Street in Kerry, drunk and disgraced as my Aunt Winnie predicted.
And now I stand in my cleaning lady’s clean kitchen, hoisting a sliver of Jameson Irish whiskey to all of you who braved the cold rain and wind to put us back on the corner of Capitol and State streets in Augusta. “Uh huh! That’s the way, uh huh uh huh! I like it.”
And certainly a second and third sip to the tireless American Democrats who wrested the House from the Republicans. Can’t you wait to see Paul Ryan hand that gavel to Madam Pelosi? Really?
True, that promised “wave” was of a paler shade of blue than that on our flag. It was more of what Sister Rosanna called “Blessed Mother Blue.” Suits me.
Yeah, it’s annoying that we have to wait until Jan. 3 to hang our coats in the House cloak room, but hang them we will. But don’t you kinda wonder where they’ll put all those handbags?
But, oh boy, the truth, as we know it at this writing, sounds like the words and music of a song.
We won at least 34 seats in the House and seven governorships, 350 state legislative seats and seven state legislative chambers. And the sweetest music of all was the tapping of heels down the hallowed halls.
As I write this column, the Brookings Institute reports a record number of women, 255 from the two major parties, ran for office, and as of Nov 7, 106 have won. And the beat goes on.
It gets sweeter. Christina Caron of the New York Times reports that more openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people were elected Tuesday night than in any previous election, at least 153 so far. Think how well we would have done if all those still in the closet came out. Wow!
Sharice Davids, the first lesbian Native American will sit in the House. Did you read that, VP Pence?
Ilhan Omar from Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian-American attorney, became the first Muslim women elected to Congress. As-salamu alaykum, ladies.
Ayanna Pressley, an African-American, takes the Massachusetts chair in Congress.
The sweetest bit of news: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a neighborhood girl from the Bronx, became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Felicidades, home girl.
And while I sit here tonight, still rocky from my midnight dream ride down from Canada, I’m thrilled to see that my vote was included in making Janet Mills the first female governor in the history of our state. Farmington girl makes good.
Yeah, it might not have been midnight blue, but I’m happy with that shade, and the “Rainbow Wave” to boot.
Yep, finally, the long awaited “Year of the Woman” is here. Grab that, 45, grab that.
J.P. Devine is a Waterville writer.
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