Dear President Trump,

Before I started sending you LKM blessings every day, I had joked with a couple of people about doing so, in part to see what it felt like to say it out loud and in part to gauge their reactions. I started with people who know how LKM is traditionally used because I thought they’d understand the import of actively addressing my most difficult person in this way. They seemed amused by the idea, if somewhat horrified. They didn’t really believe I’d actually do it. Then for the first month or so I just did it and didn’t tell anyone. I had the strong sense people in my circle would be confused and might even see me as a traitor. I was also pretty sure they would see the exercise as a colossal waste of time and energy that would be better spent lobbying congress. Finally, though, I decided to tell Laura, who I’ve already told you is my life partner (I won’t remind you again). I was especially concerned about her reaction; your presidency has cast a darker cloud over her than almost anything else in her life. But she gets why I’m doing this and appreciates it. She encouraged me to share it with others.

That’s when things got quite a bit more interesting. We sent the document I’ve been compiling to a handful of people close to us. There was radio silence from most of them and a couple of banal off-hand comments about one or another passage from others. I feel a bit chagrined by these responses since I’d harbored mini-fantasies about touching some deep chord and forging a healthy way forward. Apparently I miscalculated. For a couple of weeks I wasn’t sure whether I’d keep this up but I’ve decided to keep tilting at the windmill of your presidency because it is the right thing to do. I know you don’t read these messages and there is no magic woo-woo that’s going to allow the LKM blessings to influence you, but I’ve got to hold onto the practice because it is keeping me engaged and might just maybe help me help the situation in some as yet unknown way. Plus, I am a reactor and I need some outlet for my reactions. I’ve started telling more people I’m doing this, a kind of coming out, as it were. But I’m not sharing the document unless someone asks to see it (so far no one has). And I’m not expecting people to understand and I am expecting them to think I’m a bit off, which I suppose I am. And that’s ok.

May you be safe.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May your life unfold and intersect peacefully.

Sincerely,
Tracy Simpson