Look for the Joy

I grew up in a political family. My great-grandfather was the Governor of Maryland and a United States Senator. My grandfather was an ambassador to the United Nations. A legacy of which I have always been so profoundly proud . The ideals my family stood for, fought for, were rejected last night. I can't make sense of it, and honestly I have no interest in the autopsy of what went wrong and why. To me, it is abundantly clear, simply, systemic hatred (in every form) runs so deeply in the roots of this country. People can dress up their vote however they wish to, insulating themselves from the fundamental truth they want to ignore, that their personal interests preceded those of both democracy and the well being of the citizens of this nation. I cannot anticipate what lays before us in the coming administration, I think my brain has almost prevented my imagination from allowing that to happen. But I can only expect it will be bleak. 

So the question becomes, where do we go from here? We protect ourselves. I don't mean that in the large scale ways of marches and opposition- which will all come in time, but in the insular way of maintaining your peace- in whatever form that comes for you. Turn off the news, avoid social media. This week is about putting one foot in front of the other. This is about focusing on the joy in your world. Take your pet for a walk, read a good book, treat yourself to an expensive latte, watch a black and white film, start listening to Christmas music. Whatever seemingly small details that will help you maintain your balance and find a semblance of stabilization. Heck, I picked up my laptop and wrote this! If you are feeling as devastated and disgusted as I am, and honestly if you're kind enough to be reading this, I hope you are, otherwise I don't think I'm the appropriate content for you. I implore you to turn your focus from the macro to the micro and do what is best for you.

Nations around the world have endured horrors, many far greater than what we stand to face, and they persevered. Our own country survived a division in which half the union wanted to leave simply because they felt they deserved the right to own human beings. We persisted through the Great Depression, attacks on Pearl Harbor and on September 11th. The world as we know it will undoubtably look different after the decisions of yesterday, and we will meet those challenges as they come but right now it's simply about recuperation. I wish you nothing but joy and comfort in the coming days.