Just another day at the gym...

Neo-Nazis, alt-right supporters and white supremacists encircle counter-protestors at the base of a statue of Thomas Jefferson after marching through the University of Virginia campus with torches in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 11, 2017. NurPhoto via Getty Images

It was the morning after. I was at the gym facing the wall of TV screens aimed to keep my active brain busy enough to engage my lazy body. But what was on the screen wasn't entertaining nor a pleasant distraction from my aching muscles. I was dumbfounded.

First, I was trying to come to terms with the fact that Nazis had proudly marched through Charlottesville.

In the United States.

In this century.

In 2017.

But what bothered me most, and still haunts me today, is that no one was paying attention.

Nearly every screen had images like the one above and it was as if I was the only one seeing them. I couldn't help but try to listen in on the conversations happening around me.

Nothing. Nothing but chat about weekend plans, kid's sports, and neighborhood gossip.

This was the moment that I knew we were in danger.

With the backdrop of this vile act of hate, small-town America was just going on about life.

No, this isn't a criticism of small-town America. I'm a country girl.

It also isn't a lack of understanding that we are too often overwhelmed with bad news. I recognize we sometimes just need a freaking break from it.

I do, however, believe some things require our attention and conversation - no matter how difficult it is or how exhausted we are. There are things that demand a FULL STOP.

We'll have differing opinions about what those things are.

For me it's nazis, white supremacy, and removing civil rights from LGBTQ folks.

But can we talk about it?

I don't want to just hop on the treadmill and pretend like nothing is happening.

I want to talk about your weekend plans, kid's sports, neighborhood gossip AND how you are feeling about the big stuff.

For me, it's more exhausting trying to dance around the "hot topics" than it is to face them head-on, even through disagreement.

What it requires, of course, is a willingness to listen.

I am willing.

We all saw the nazis. Let's talk about it.