Happy Diwali! May you always know that light will conquer darkness.
It’s been an exciting time to be here in the beautiful and very diverse state of Texas. I, for one, have always loved Texas, even before I moved here 21 years ago, and then more and more as I got to know her better. Some of my favorite Texans have fur, feathers, or scales and live in very remote wild places where one can see the stars light up the sky at night. I like to think that, in showing up to the polls in massive numbers, Texans have chosen to protect some of the very essence of this place, to keep it both welcoming and wild, to lean in to its gentler side, which is at the same time as strong and stubborn as the wildflowers that dare bloom in our challenging climate. For over two decades, I’ve known that my affinity to this big and unique state that is my home has baffled most of my friends from New York and Europe. Perhaps now they will get it. Or maybe not. It doesn’t really matter. What matters to me is knowing that here in Texas we have friends and neighbors who care about our communities, who care about members of our society that don’t get a vote, and who care that my furry and feathered friends out in the desert and in Big Bend need their habitat much more than we need data centers.
