THE FUTURE I WROTE FOR MYSELF IS ON ETERNAL HOLD

We are all now living in the UpsideDown of the WhatTheFuck

In the future I’ve been manifesting for myself once Kamala Harris won the 2024 election, things are super sweet.

In this future America, which would’ve been like the Obama Times when we just lived instead of watching our President destroy all norms under a microscope 24/7, I landed a major book deal soon after the election was called because everyone was relieved and happy and women got their proper boom moment.

My rock and roll love story went viral after getting huge online props from all the celebrities who had a copy, and the bidding war for The Sound of Settling was epic. After a proper version was released, it became an instant best-seller. The rights were snapped up immediately for a record amount by Netflix and I got to work adapting it into a streaming series while editing the follow-up, Heavy Meddling, which also became a best-seller. I got my dream cast and my dream directors—all women—for every episode. I have seen full scenes in my mind for over three years now. I can hear the dialogue, I can see the montages I’ve set to certain songs. My book is a blueprint and my team follows it and together we make magic.

Not only that, but in my manifested future, I finally got back in touch with Dave Grohl, who finally did right by me and told the world that I had indeed inspired “Times Like These,” and a huge part of my poor brain got to rest after holding on to two decades of that and other unanswered questions.

The best part of this future that I’ve written for myself is that I’m so set financially that I don’t have to write about politics for a living anymore. Politics can now be something I check sporadically because there’s a trustworthy system in place. At the same time, I can be philanthropic and give my time and money to causes that will always matter, like the environment and protecting women’s rights and the rights of all marginalized communities. I would never stop paying attention, but it wouldn’t have to consume my life because my life would be consumed with Lila and Grady, not Trump and Vance.

In this future I’ve written for myself, I have a nice little house tucked away on a nice quiet street in Portland. I don’t need a lot since it’s still just my two cats and me, but I also have been able to get a little place in New York so I can spend more time with my mom and my nieces. There’s also a sweet little place out on the Oregon Coast. It’s all very safe and cozy, stress-free, and all positive forward motion-type stuff. My friends and I just get closer because we’re all doing well in a Harris/Walz boom economy and we go on fun trips and keep having the best time at Low Bar Chorale. It’s the life I’ve always wanted, no more than I need.

This is the future I have been writing for myself for such a long time that I don’t want to have to rewrite it now. I think there's something very fucked up about the election results. I don’t think she lost that badly. I think Trump cheated because he told us he had the votes, that no one would ever have to vote again, and then he became besties with Elon Musk pretty fast. I think Democrats should investigate instead of accepting the results. They came in way too soon. They don’t make sense data-wise. I don’t trust it and I don’t trust Trump and Mike Johnson and their “little secret.”

At the same time, we have to prepare ourselves for a future that will put all of us at risk, but more of us are vulnerable than others. I’m already enough of a MAGA target online, but now I’m an “enemy from within.” And a Jewish one, at that.

In the future I had written for myself, I was too busy being busy to worry about too much. Last night, as I watched democracy burn, The Sound of Settling passed 800 copies sold. When I looked at the total before I swallowed an extra Melatonin at midnight, this is what I saw.

I couldn’t even feel good about that accomplishment. Because in the future we’re facing, which no one could write, who will care about my book? I used to foresee a time when I could happily dress up in some designer outfits and make the late-night talk show rounds to promote it, and that time was two days ago. But right now all I can see are the scenes from The Handmaid’s Tale where they hang Jews and gays and journalists in public.

And I’m one out of three of those. So.

I am not going to let MAGA bullies erase the future I’ve written for myself, even as Sisyphean as it all seems this morning. We have to lay the groundwork to protect ourselves and our democracy over the next two months. I don’t know what that looks like yet because I didn’t write a future for myself where my life was at risk simply because I exist, but we need to have each other’s backs more than ever now.

For now, I will still keep writing and using my voice even if it won’t matter as much in the United States of Putin. For now, we have to keep supporting each other in the ultimate act of Resistance because they will keep trying to break us.

I don’t know what will happen to Twitter now. I’ve always said I don’t let Nazis run me out of anywhere, but that was because I had written a future where they didn’t win. I’m on Threads & Instagram as taradublinrocks1 and plan to post there more now, even if Meta is going to silence us too.

In the future we’re going to write for ourselves, there will be a time when the good guys win again. Someday it’ll feel okay to celebrate again.

Be kind and good to each other. We’re all we have left now.

And please buy my book while women are still allowed to read and write.