I Need a Voice - Weekly Update

 I confess: I have not completed my weekly goal yet. The thought of it filled me with dread, making it almost difficult to even breathe. I've always struggled with going out alone, but it got a lot worse a few years ago. 

I had hit a good stride going for a walk every single day. It started with my daughter, and we would go on a roughly 30 minute walk, rain or shine. Then, she went off to University, and I continued it alone for a bit, slowly feeling more at peace with myself, until one day in particular. 

I was walking along, enjoying the smells of nature, excited to get home and share my update in a Twitch channel that encouraged and motivated me to stick to my goal, when two voices drifted along to me. Two young men were walking behind me, talking loudly about how fun it would be to kidnap a female, and how easy it would be to do. I turned a corner, they followed. 

I ended up going to a place with quite a few people around, and eventually they did leave, so I got to go home unfollowed, but it still shook me. I never went alone after that. Would they have followed me home, had I went straight there? I dunno. Maybe not. It probably just was some dumbass dudes who were all talk, trying to be "cool". 

I truly feel like if I had a dog, I'd feel a lot safer to leave the house. I know it doesn't guarantee my protection, but it may make little shits not see me as such an easy target. Even if that scenario never happens again, a dog would still provide so much comfort. 

Unpopular opinion, but I truly feel like the government here in Nova Scotia should be more like Ontario with their pet laws. I can write an entire essay on how dog companionship benefits positively affect mental health, which leads into physical health, and how that would be better for society overall. Maybe I will make a post about it, eventually.

Every election, I email candidates about this very issue. I try to keep it concise and to the point, while still trying to detail the ways companion animals can improve communities, but I've only ever received two responses. 

One said they would keep my comments in mind for conversations in Parliament, but then Covid hit, and I imagine some rando woman on the east coast who wants animal rights was the last thing in mind. 

The second said he would support it if a particular bill (basically a bill of rights to ensure no tenant with a pet could be denied housing) passed, as Halifax Council has done a lot of "Yes, but.." when it comes to federal laws (i.e. marijuana legalization - yes, but - you can only smoke at very specific designated areas. Btw - don't even give a second thought to some of those areas being right next to community centres filled with children at times, it's fiiiiine), but that bill has gone nowhere, so far.

Every other candidate/official that I have reached out to has not responded. No answer is a loud answer. 

I wish I could do something to push this more. I wish I had the confidence and courage to try to be more vocal and visible with it. I wish I had the ability to be one of those charismatic people who can garner a ton of support raising awareness about things. I'm just alone, screaming into the dark void where nobody hears. If I was ever lucky enough to have a following, a platform, I would "use" that platform for stuff like this. To help people. I don't want this change for just me, I want it for everybody who needs it.