The Complexity of Asylum

It’s been awhile since my last flower day. Truth be told, I haven’t been up for it. But today I decided it was time to inject my home with some much needed beauty and light. 

The constant onslaught of horrific news, coupled with feeling absolutely exhausted this winter, has left me a bit unmotivated. While I’m definitely on the other side, it’s taken longer than expected to come back to my usual self. 

What’s definitely not helping the situation is the treatment of the human beings currently seeking asylum in our country. I’m horrified. Because I see myself in those children. Yes, I immigrated to the US legally. But we were LUCKY to be granted that green card. Who is to say I’m any better than others?? For centuries, black and brown people have ironically and violently been brought to this country against their will, ripped from countries that have been colonized, and have had to deal with the lasting effect of that damage. Now that some seek to come seeking refuge, whether it be from political danger, or simply seeking a better life for themselves and their children, we are now turning out back as a country, and it is breaking my heart. 

While this is a complex issue that is going to take a long time to fix, in the meantime, can we all pause and send those seeking asylum some love? You never know, instead of “infesting” our nation like Trump claims, maybe one of those immigrants will grow up to be a hair colorist who has a side obsession with fauna and flora.