I’m not going to lie, this past election has unnerved me. I’m a cis, straight, married, upper-middle class, educated white woman and despite all of that privilege I feel helpless. That alone is rough; but my heart is breaking just thinking about how terrified my peers of color, transgender, differing sexual orientation, and undocumented status must have been feeling ALL THIS TIME. I get it now. I am so sorry it’s taken me almost 40 years to get it. But I promise, the next 40 will be different.

Ever since November I’ve started calling my senators and congressman to voice my opinion. Writing emails and letters to express my rage that Nestle is trying to take even more of our groundwater for next to nothing while the people of Flint STILL cannot drink the water from their taps. Doing what I can to make sure everyone knows how completely incompetent and dangerous the cabinet picks will be for this country. I’m mad as hell but phone calls to congressional staffers and emails just don’t feel like enough so when a friend asked if I’d like to tag along to the Women’s March in Lansing I jumped at the chance.

I had actually already started blending some fiber to make myself a pussy hat to wear while picking up Captain Obvious from school on the 20th. My own little protest march in our overwhelmingly red congressional district.

Things snowballed (or snowflaked?) from there. A friend from DC mentioned that she’d be at the march in Washington and still needed a hat. My sister in Seattle asked for one as well. I spent 6 days blending, spinning, and knitting like a mad woman.

It was totally worth it.

I know that the hats were controversial and some women found them demeaning. They have every right to feel as they do. But for me they were empowering. It was a way to reach out to friends and share my craft. To participate in marches that were logistically impossible for me to attend. To show solidarity with all the other women who were there to have their voices heard. It was a great beginning to the long fight ahead of us.