Robin's #WalkAway

How do I synopsize the evolution of my transformation into a small snip-it of information suitable to share here? My journey has been long, emotional, and tumultuous. I am an Apache/Mexican citizen of this beautiful country. The youngest child of a single father. Being as such, I was raised with a backbone, not a wishbone. I was obsessed with politics from a very early age. I was an oddity. I was nearly 16 years old and completely enthralled by The Iran-Contra hearings. As a living, breathing, thinking daughter of a minority father, I was very aligned with the left. My very first vote EVER was for Bill Clinton. I was so excited. As I continued my college education studying political science, I became indoctrinated. There was only ONE right answer to any question. There was no valuable differing opinion. There was only one truth regardless of a person's individuality or beliefs. And if they disagreed, they were stupid. Period. I #walkaway-ed in the 1990's when as my own belief system evolved to include and accept so many more differing belief systems, I was met with so much hostility. Everything really came to a head for me a few years ago. As I became more conservative and independent, people made such assumptions that as an Apache and Mexican female, well I must be liberal. And when it was discovered I was not, well than my non-existent husband must be deciding my beliefs for me. I've been told I'm not a "real" Mexican. I'm a race traitor. I'm a Nazi. I've been called a masogynist! Heaven help me when I identify as Christian. (Pun intended). But the beautiful passionate blood that runs through my veins is why I am where I am today. It is the very nature of my fiery blood that tells me no one; no politician no group can better decide what I need, what is right for me than ME. It is my very blood that tells me to love as much as possible, judge seldomly, but always protect myself, my country, and those I love from anyone, or policy that in the end does disservice to it, or them. In fact I didn't walk away, I sprinted. And now that I'm in this race, I intend to win!