I was at Mom and Dad's when Joe Biden was declared President-Elect. After a week of universal fatigue and restless sleep, it was such a relief to get the news.
But, I haven't felt much better since then and I have been trying to pinpoint why.
I think it's for many reasons... One, the good news was tempered with coverage of Donald Trump on his golf course, refusing to concede the election. Instead of focusing on a Biden celebration, the conversation was focused on the negative. What do you do with a President who is making false claims and refuses to follow the civil, good precedent of his predecessors? I continue to get depressed when I see Republicans backing up his claims and giving them credence. Is winning more important than dignity? Is retaining power more important than integrity? It seems that it is.
It's also because 71 million Americans still support Trump. When I ask people (in a calmer frame of mind) why they support Trump, most say it is because of the economy. And while the economy is important, is money more important than everything we hold dear? Are people okay with racism and lying and being a bully and separating moms and kids at the border and not letting women choose and good healthcare and suggesting that there won't be a peaceful transfer of power and that climate change is fine and the COVID-19 deaths aren't important and that we can ignore scientists as long as their 401K is okay? Is money more important than taking care of each other? I am profoundly disappointed.
It's also because COVID-19 cases continue to rise. Indiana is out of control and we are the 26th worst state in the country. That means that everyone is else is just as out of control and it makes me angry. When I compared our results with other countries around the world who are spiking, I am jealous. Because they have had a break. Nearly everyone else has had rates go down so that they could resemble normal life and we continue to rise and rise. And if we would implement a coherent, COVID-19 policy and pay attention to health experts, we could save tens of thousands of lives between now and January. What a waste. What a disappointment.
I am angry.
...
I have been thinking of Stephanie so much lately. She was so successful at bridging the divide between Democrats and Republicans. She stated her opinions, but didn't engage in arguments and was universally loved, despite her liberal opinions. Four years ago, she and I filled out her ballot together and I dropped it off for her. We were so excited to have the first female president. She was bereft when Donald Trump was elected president. We were all in tears and she could not understand how he had been elected. What would she think now? What would she think when the people she loved still supported Trump after four years?
I wish I knew. Because this negativity that I feel right now is only hurting me and it doesn't help us move forward.
I wish I knew how to move forward. Biden's extended olive branch has been slapped away. Many Americans say that they won't accept the results unless Trump wins. How do you move forward with that attitude?
What would Stephanie do? What do I do?
Today, I will meditate. I will do my homework and work. I will make dinner and I will turn off the news. We donated food to a local ministry and I will aim to do acts of service. Today, I will keep trying to "be the change I wish to see in the world." (Ghandi)
Anger got us here, but it can stop with me.
To close, here is is some brightness in my world...
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| This is a "waiting for macaroni and cheese" face |
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| Watching Biden and Harris speak on Saturday and trying to force Milo to grasp the history of it. (He would have rather watched Paw Patrol.) |
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