by

Dashed Hopes

mercury-news-front-pageI don’t know how we got it so wrong.

On Tuesday things seemed full of hope and promise. I was enthusiastic and upbeat.  We were about to elect our first female president in America. Finally, we could erase that smug and self-satisfied look off of Trump’s face. Instead I went to bed with just a glimmer of hope that the numbers could be wrong.

I woke up in a fog, feeling like someone had died. I woke up to the news that Donald Trump had enough electoral votes to put him in office. What so many of us viewed as a terrible joke was our new reality.

Karen, of The Unassuming Hiker said this:

Today we woke up to the realization that the following things are true:

  • Bullies win
  • Racism is alive and well in America
  • Women don’t matter
  • Black lives don’t matter
  • There is no global warming (or science for that matter)
  • The more outrageous you are, the better chance you have that the 24 hour news media will give you full coverage and help you get elected.
  • And, the Donald was correct when he said “I could shoot someone on 5th Ave and still get elected.”

He won by promising to make “your” life better!  The only life he is concerned with is his own.

You can read the rest of her post here.

All the “positive” spin says don’t give up hope. We have to work even harder. Stand up and protect those who have so much to lose. The list is long: Latinos, Muslims, members of the LGBTQ community, the disabled, the disenfranchised and women who make up over half of the population.

Maybe I’m not doing enough. I vote. I volunteer. I show up, stand up, give money, support causes, sign petitions but when I rolled out of bed this morning, our president-elect is the same guy we all saw on the Access Hollywood hot mic clip.

My 16-year-old son volunteered election night at the Registrar of Voters. He came home at midnight, sad and disappointed and vowed to wear black to school the following day. He left for school Wednesday morning dressed in black from head to toe. My older son, away at college, assured me he would be okay, but that he is “just not reading the news anymore.”

I need to grieve, regroup, and figure out my own “what now?” I hardly know where to start.

98 thoughts on “Dashed Hopes”

  2. I’ve been trying to find some positives here, but so far have been unsuccessful. I read this morning that he won from the rural, uneducated, white population. Why, if women and minorities are in the majority – why, how, what went wrong. Still trying to process. I have not been this depressed since 9/11.

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    • Karen, this comes from the Guardian:

      “For months, the image of the Donald Trump’s supporter has been the face of an angry white man. But it was white women who pushed Trump to victory.

      Rejecting the candidate who had aimed to be America’s first female president, 53% of white women voted for Trump, according to CNN exit polls.

      White women without a college degree supported Trump over Hillary Clinton by nearly a two to one margin. White women with a college degree were more evenly divided, with 45% supporting Trump, compared with 51% supporting Clinton.

      Women of color, in contrast, voted overwhelmingly for Clinton: 94% of black women supported her, and 68% of Latino women. While exit polling data has flaws, the early responses underline a stark racial divide among American women: the majority of white women embraced Trump and his platform, while women of color rejected him.

      The strong support for Trump among white women suggests that many of them, if not “overtly racist”, simply “don’t think racism is a big deal”, said Mikki Kendall, a feminist cultural critic.”

      I’m stunned! And agree, it’s very much the mood of 9/11, that overwhelming sense of sorrow.

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      • Just shows that women can be misogynists too. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. I am appalled, but not surprised at the uprising of open racism – it will get worse before it gets better. We just have to stand up to hate and not let it destroy us.

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        • Karen, I have a friend who is both black and gay. He used to live in Alabama, but now enjoys the welcoming San Francisco community. But he posted this week that he woke up feeling afraid once again, afraid the way he was in Alabama that he would be lynched if he looked at someone the wrong way or said the wrong thing. We do have to stand up to hate; we can’t let it destroy us. But I have to say, the fear for many is palpable. I’m still largely on a media blackout because it’s just too upsetting. I plan to attend a meeting this week to see what I can do in our community. I will keep you posted. Meanwhile, sending you love and light.

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          • Alys, I went to play bridge Friday and our director was almost in tears because he now fears going to jail for his sexual orientation. I have to believe there are enough good and powerful people in this country that won’t let these awful things happen. But I see the crazy’s coming out thinking they have a voice now. Not all the people who voted for Trump are haters – I’m really trying to understand what they hope to get from him, and I am certain they will be disappointed.

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            • Oh Karen, that makes me so sad. I’ve felt such hope in this past few years when we were able to overturn the defense of marriage act and finally let all consenting adults who love each other marry. I worked for a lesbian couple several years ago who were married twice, once in San Francisco before the legal challenge and a second time in another state. They were in their sixties at the time. She told me how angry she was that someone could tell her that she couldn’t legal marry the person she loved. This is playing out everywhere. In San Jose we have a huge Latino population with many of them afraid they’ll be deported. This is what we all feared. I too think they’ll be disappointed. For now, we wait and watch and stay hyper-vigilant.

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  3. Oh, Alys, I, too, am struggling with the “what now” question. I am questioning what my role is within this country of ours. I am questioning what I can do to help make life “better” for those who feel so disenfranchised and so bereft of hope that drove them to want such radical change led by a person such as Donald Trump. I have friends I love with all my heart, who are honorable and decent and stand against everything Trump stands for, and yet struggled up until the very instant they pulled that lever about which one to pull. And in the end, with heavy hearts, they voted for “change,” praying that they were making the right choice. I do not love them any less for it, but I have to admit I was dumbfounded.

    I woke up yesterday feeling that so much of what I do on a daily basis is self-serving, and as I walked down the street with my eyes, yes, brimming with tears, I stopped and spoke to a homeless man, shaking his hand, asking his story, and beyond allowing him to give voice to his story to someone who asked, all I could do at that moment was to give him some cash and to tell him “God bless.” And I felt a hollowness I can’t quite explain.

    For me, the outcome of this election has shaken me to my core, and I want — no, I need — to find a path different from the one I am on now. I don’t know where this may lead – I truly don’t even know where to begin, but I am praying for guidance. This I do know, however. That wherever I am guided will require a huge step outside of my comfort zone. And, perhaps, that is a blessing in disguise.

    “Be the change you want to see in this world.” — Ghandi

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    • Stacy, thanks for sharing what you are going through. I think we’re all questioning, searching for answers and for a way to make a difference. I also understand why you felt a hollowness after speaking with the man on the street. When I’m in that situation, I realize that I’m only making a difference in the moment and that real change needs to happen. That’s when I’m become paralyzed with guilt. I have so much compared to the vast majority of people in our world. I want everyone to have a meal, a home, a safe place to sleep at night, yet they don’t. It makes me feel insignificant at times, knowing there is so much work to do, yet feeling that I’m not making a difference.

      You’re right about stepping outside of our comfort zone. I will be interested to hear what you pursue. I’m mostly hibernating right now: no news, no social media. The blogosphere feels like a safe haven. Thank you for being here.

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        • Received loud and clear, Stacy. I feel exactly the same way. Sending you love and light. I read your wonderful post yesterday, but I was tired, and wanted to wait till I could write a proper response. I will be back “there” today. xo

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          • Well, hear I am on WP, trying to get out from under a blanket of devastation. Alys, you called it a “media blackout”. I haven’t even been able to watch HRC’s concession speech (although thanks to Deborah, whose post I reblogged, I was able to read it).
            I’ve already commented on Stacy’s blog, and Alys, you and I have briefly communicated on FB, so all I’ll say is this: I’m so grateful for my WP friends, who are more than just WP friends.
            #safetypin has helped me and helping to urge women to go to the March on Washington, has also helped.
            Love to all of you!

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            • Laurie, it is a blanket of devastation. I’ve refused to listen to any news, so like you have not heard HRC’s speech. I can’t bare to here Trump’s voice and will avoid it at all costs. I’m trying to censor everything for now till I can feel a bit more centered. I’ve been sleeping poorly, waking up every morning with a sense of dread.

              I’m considering the march on Washington but there is also an event in San Francisco the same day and that may be more doable. I think it will be near impossible to find lodging in the area at the time of the inauguration.

              #safetypin is a wonderful place to put some energy. Will you be able to march on Washington? I can’t recall how long it will take you to get there and back. It seems like a lot for one day, but I really want to be there. Mulling over the options.

              Love to you.

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              • Alys, I will indeed be going to Washngton for the March. We are chartering buses, leaving early in the morning on Saturday and coming home early on Sunday. It’s a 4.5 hour drive.
                It sure would be a really long trip for you so if by some chance you do head East, know that you are welcome here (that goes without saying!!!). You could fly into Charlotte, NC or Roanoke and take the bus with all of us.
                I’m sure that seems near impossible but just wanted to make sure you know you are welcome.
                It helps so much knowing that we are all united no matter how far apart we are. Love you!

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  5. At least Trump and Pen are pro life, as Christians belief. I know uneducated people with a lot of wisdom, because hard work, contact with land, sun, growing food in the field, give men a special sense of life that is not acquired from books, so, a humans should not be diminish because lack of diplomas and universities in their resume.

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    • Thank you for reading and commenting. I would never diminish anyone, educated or otherwise. But to vote for a candidate based on a single issue, ignores all the other issues that will hurt this nation. I believe a woman’s reproductive rights should be up to her. They don’t belong in politics. I also believe that we should all be treated equally under the law. My friend, who is both black and gay, now fears for his safety under a new administration that encourages hate and violence. It’s a dark day for this country. We’ve elected a thin-skinned, self-serving and dishonest man to run this country. It strikes fear in my heart.

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  6. Dearest, my heart aches for you and your community of like minded friends. Shaken, is how I best describe my thoughts. I, like so many, hoped that American voters would take the high road. I hoped that the world would see what I already know. That most Americans are hopeful, joyful, considerate, inclusive, empathetic to others worries or strife and contribute in only positve ways to life. I felt humbled by Stacy’s message. She, you and so many others is how I see Americans. This election is not a reflection of the people I know and love! Remember that ok? The world needs every good minded person to be diligent and persistent. We don’t buy what he’s selling and neither do the millions who voted with you, which apparently was the majority. See! There’s more good than not. What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. It’s really true, I’m proof of it. xox love you dearly k

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  7. Two wonderful comments precede mine from our friends K and Stacy. I too am struggling to understand what happened – Cindy’s comment is interesting! If she is correct does this mean the US political system is as corrupt as rumours say it is? The peoples voice really is disregarded and the elite do as they please? All I know is, as Stacy demonstrated, now is the time for every citizen to enact your own change, your own voice – to enable the Ghandi within and move ahead demonstrating compassion and fairness. Which of course you have always done anyway, you are a leader in this regard my dear! I have been reading articles and listening to the truly independent political commentators and have garnered there was such a groundswell against the status-quo, against the power plays and war making and ‘right is might’ mentality that this was the only way to get the message across. HRC is distrusted in much of the world, yet she was still preferable to the other. One commentator said it was an election with no worthy choice what were the American people to do? Another said the country was so divided that each side expressed true fear and dread of the others candidate being president. Another expressed his opinion that the American media is bought by one party or the other so getting an honest report of actual events is very difficult. No wonder you ‘got it wrong’. We live in interesting times Alys, we will all be watching what happens closely. Do not despair, continue to enjoy your days and cherish your community, be vigilant and be informed, but do not live in fear. There is always opportunity for good to come from dark times and change, though hard, is inevitably for the good. Much love xoxo

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    • Thank you, Pauline, for your wise words and counsel. It’s interesting to hear perspectives from outside this country. I’ve been largely ignoring the news and social media for the past 48 hours, because everything I see and hear is upsetting.

      The Electoral College has always been a bit of a mystery to me too. It was developed at a time when few of the masses were educated and we’ve maintained that system. Thus, the popular vote, as it was in this election and also with Bush vs Gore, went to HC, but the Electoral votes went to Trump.

      Living in California, and especially the Bay Area puts me in the center of a diverse community. Even so, I know some of my neighbors most likely voted for Trump.

      And though I understand that a lot of people don’t feel that HRC is trustworthy, her record of working for women and children throughout her thirty years in politics speaks volumes. Trump simply works for the good of Trump. It’s all water under the bridge now. Here we are. I’m lower than a caterpillar and really struggling to find some equilibrium. The days march on. xo

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  9. I have barely dressed myself and hardly functioning the last 2 days. Maybe we will see how broken the system really is? I can’t and couldn’t even look at his face on television. We want change, true, but not backwards change. I’m trying not to think about it because it’s making me quite ill. This is how Hitler got a toe hold in Germany. He was going to make it better. Ha!

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    • Marlene, I hear you. Getting out of bed Wednesday morning to take my son to school was nearly impossible. I moped around most of the day, tending to what had to be done and letting the rest go. Today I had an exercise class and then a client, so it was good to keep busy. I’ve not see or heard a word out of his mouth since Tuesday. I just can’t. I have the same physical reaction that you do. And yes, the comparisons to Hitler’s Germany are real and alarming. We didn’t elect change, we elected a dangerous man. I feel sick.

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      • I’m glad I’m not alone with this feeling. I tend to be sensitive. More to people’s energy than anything. I pick up a lot and he sends very little good. I can’t watch him even on his own shows. I think we need to be watching for signs of a mental illness in this man. I’m hoping by tomorrow I can move again. Exercised and walked today but still can’t concentrate. Watching anything to distract me. Saw a sweet movie tonight on Netflix with Morgan Freeman and Virginia Madsen called “the magic of Belle Isle” A rare gentle movie. I needed that. Once I can wrap my head around this maybe I can move forward. I swear, I have never had this kind of reaction to an election.

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        • You are not alone at all. I’m hearing it over and over again in whispers and cries from friends, classmates, clients and of course family. Fear, anger, and a profound sadness. Much has been said of his mental illness, though of course nothing formally diagnosed. I’m glad you got out for a walk today, and that you escaped into a lighthearted movie. I’m walking with a friend in the morning.

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  10. What can we say? We are shocked and bewildered. it is clear that the majority have not been served, but that does not really help when you are facing four years of who-knows-what. I sincerely hope that individuals in the US will take action to counter the harm that is likely to ensue. You are in my heart.
    Like your eldest son, I’m not reading the news any more… I’m focusing on what I can do to make the world a better place.

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    • Focusing on the positive is our only way forward. But I’m still entertaining fantasies of scenarios that will keep him out of office: surely he’ll do something that is an impeachable offense. He’s so thin-skinned and temperamental, it won’t be long before he realizes that this isn’t a reality show. Then what? There is so much at stake: supreme court justice nominees, women’s health care, immigration reform to name but a few. I fear for this country.

      And yes…avoiding the news. It’s all too much. Thanks for your comments.

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  12. I can’t watch the international news just now. I can’t bear the poison that comes spewing out of his mouth every time he opens it. Can you take any comfort from the fact that by all accounts, the majority *didn’t* vote for him? Perhaps the right place for the American people to direct all efforts right now is electoral reform. At least that would ensure this never happens again.

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    • Kate, you bring up a good point. This can’t keep happening over and over again. I’m comforted on one level that HRC won the popular vote, but it’s small comfort when it’s Trump that will take the reins come January. He’s a dangerous man. I feel emotionally unprepared for what lies ahead if that makes sense.

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      • It makes perfect sense, and it’s an emotion shared by all America’s allies.
        Down Under, we are legally obliged to vote. That doesn’t make our choices any better, but it does mean that everyone has to choose *someone* rather than hoping that everyone else will vote and the decision will be made for us, and it makes us all accountable. I think many non-Americans are deeply mystified by the Electoral College thing, myself among them. How can someone win who didn’t get a majority of the votes, whether on their own account or as part of a coalition? Is that a *good* way to elect someone who will have such power? Something you guys have to start asking your representatives and senators, maybe.

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        • Kate, this may be the start of a reformed system. I certainly hope so. I wish we had mandatory voting…or simply that everyone took pride and responsibility in the process and voted because it was the right thing to do. I see it as a privilege and a responsibility. I take my time, get to know the issues, and vote with my heart. Thanks for commenting and for sharing your perspectives on the process.

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  13. You are not alone by any means. I’ve been depressed, nearly physically ill from the outcome of this election. I can’t watch that man or listen to his voice. Thank goodness for mute buttons! I guess all we can do is demonstrate that love trumps hate in the long run.

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    • Sue, that’s it exactly. I feel physically ill and unable to watch or listen to him or any one supporting him. I’m censoring all my news, even the fun shows like Colbert. I just can’t take it right now. I know I’ll work through this sadness, this sorrow, but for now I still feel off-kilter. Best of luck to you in the days and weeks ahead. xo

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  14. In spite of the unsettling surprise Tuesday, I am trying to think like a historian and quell the jitters. I am nothing if not logical, and so as the election reports came in, I began to think about other bitter elections and cast about for other presidents considered unfit.
    Andrew Jackson was one, a populist and considered outside many social norms of the time. He gave the order for the “evacuation” of the Cherokees from their territory, resulting in the infamous Trail of Tears. Warren Harding, genial and likely unintelligent, was a businessman and ran a corrupt administration known largely for the Teapot Dome scandal.
    Over time, the country has survived a civil war, a great depression, a cold war, social upheavals, and increasingly bitter politics. On the one hand I am thinking that a government completely in the hands of the Republican Party will have no excuses not to govern. And regardless what they do, there will be another election in two years. The electorate has been neither patient nor forgiving of late.
    Of course, these are domestic thoughts and the world is small and the U.S. casts far-reaching ripples from its shores. As with the 80s, I think people in western countries are making particular choices. Remember Margaret Thatcher? Shortly after, we got Ronald Reagan. The underpinnings of the Brexit vote bear similarities to the one that has elected our new president. And our friends in France are experiencing similar political themes.
    So let us take a long view and continue to work in our own communities. We can change what we can touch.

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    • I love that Lisa, we can change what we can touch. True that! I also love the history lesson you’ve shared. I’m sure the air in DC has been electric. Will you attend the inaugeration? It seems like a privilage to be able to vote, I’m surprised so many don’t. xK

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    • Lisa, thank you for sharing your perspectives. You are such a knowledgeable historian. My son’s teacher shared the Andrew Jackson example in class the day after the election. I admire your ability to be so pragmatic. I’m a bag of nerves.

      The pendulum swings. I keep hoping that we’ll grow beyond bitterness and war and hatred and fear, yet here we are again.

      Lisa, what would you suggest in terms of working in our own communities? What specifically can we do on a local level?

      And I too like your words “we can change what we can touch.”

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      • For me, it’s food. There are people hungry here, so I will keep gardening and teaching people to garden and working with the food assistance center. I am also interested in affordable housing, which is an issue in my community and has been acted on by the county board. Just recently, I talked with someone who had connections in foundations and he was proposing to them that they do broad based educational programs on what government does. Civic education,which it seems a lot of people need. Sitting where I do, I see foreign assistance programs that could easily be useful here. I’d like to get involved in that one if any of the foundations bite. So look around. Water use? People might like to hear your yard story, and of course, we all need to stay alert to prevent bigotry and violence.

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  15. Dear Alys, Even in NZ I share your despair. I have been in a deep funk since Trump’s election. I call it Post Trump Stress Disorder. Giving it a name doesn’t make me feel better however. I have been trying to understand why I feel this way. My tentative conclusion is that it is not the fact that Clinton lost which bothers me but that many people knowingly elected a person who boasts of sexual assault, laughs at the disabled, etc etc. No leader is perfect, never has been, never will be, but I thought, at least in the 21st century, people in a civilized democracy would be politically mature enough to elect a reasonable, decent person. Trump may yet surprise us and be good for the US economy, and for the world. But no matter how well he performs his Presidential duties, or how well he builds metaphorical and physical bridges, or how many jobs he brings to America, I will never be able to erase the infamous “p…y” grabbing words/image from my mind. Why? Because if you have ever been groped, fondled, or subjected to frotteurism, you may forgive but you don’t forget. The same goes for any kind of racial or sexual assault/abuse, violence, bullying, etc etc. No matter how rich you become, how secure in your job, you do not escape the consequences of those violations. I feel so deeply sorry for all the people in the US who now must look at Trump every day and see that ” he got away with it”. If he makes the US prosper, great, but let’s not forget at what cost Germany achieved the Autobahn “The best possible way to bring the German people back into work is to set German economic life once more in motion through great monumental works… This is not merely the hour in which we begin the building of the greatest network of roads in the world, this hour is at the same time a milestone on the road towards the building up of the community of the German people.
    — Adolf Hitler” Sorry to be so dismal. I am glad you have more positive commenters on your post. At some stage we have to pick ourselves up and continue to be the best people we can be. I don’t know where we start. Cuddling my dog seems to help. Oh and gosh darn it, to top it all off, Leonard Cohen has to die!!!!!!!! Hugs. 🙂

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    • It seems the news keeps getting worse. I’ve been following the press on the New Zealand quakes, and understand it’s possible the quakes are combined faults. Mother nature strikes a terrible blow.

      As to your comments re Trump, I agree 1000%. The end (if he does well for the economy which remains to be seen) does not justify the means. This country once succeeded on the backs of slaves. That was a shameful time in history and I suspect this will be too. Every woman I’ve met over the years has either been sexually harassed, assaulted or violated in some way. Trump’s actions are horrific and inexcusable. I wouldn’t want him as a neighbor, let alone an elected official. He’s a base and vulgar human being, a predator and a liar and a cheat. I still can’t believe we are here.

      Once again, I am so saddened by the news from Christchurch. I’m holding you in my thoughts. xo

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      • Thank you Alys. When the big earthquakes struck in 2010 and 2011 I thought they would be the biggest I would experience in my lifetime…….how wrong I was. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we are over the worst for a while. We live in unnerving times, politically and physically. 😦 Let’s hope we can remain steady. Did I tell you that my daughter cried all night when she heard that Trump had won? My brain is so muddled at the moment I don’t know what I have said where.

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  16. Well, I guess you know that I share all your misgivings and feelings of physical illness. I’ve been completely undone, on the verge of (or in) tears for the last two days. I got so much support from this amazing blog world that I couldn’t help but feel somewhat buoyed but then I start thinking about our uncertain future . . . and feel awful again. But we can’t avoid the news for too long. People like us need to keep an eye on him and to cry foul loud and long . . .

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    • Kerry, you are so right: “we need to keep an eye on him and to cry foul…” I know I’ll get back to the media eventually, but for now I’m trying to protect myself from true despair while I get a handle on this overwhelming feeling of grief and sorrow. I wake up every day feeling out of sorts, thinking and worrying and wondering about our future. Sending love and understanding your way.

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  17. Pingback: The Wisdom of Ghandi and Pursuit of Identity | Visual Venturing

  18. Pingback: The Wisdom of Ghandi and Pursuit of Identity | Visual Venturing

  19. Pingback: Trump | Anne Lawson

  20. What an amazing discussion, such wise and thoughtful words. We are living in a period of transition, but the outcome is not fixed. We can influence the shape of our world with our actions. The thoughts expressed her show me that so many of us want tolerance and inclusion to be a strong part of that future. I understand your despair, dear Alys, but your heart is so good, and your values so strong ~ just look at how you have influenced your two beautiful boys. xxxx

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    • Anne, thank you so much for your kind words. I’m proud of my boys and the young men they’re becoming. They give me hope. You are right, so many of us are looking for tolerance and inclusion. These shouldn’t be rights earned, but rights implied for all. I’m not giving up, but I need to grieve what feels like a terrible loss for this country, for our world at large. Your love and support mean the world to me. Thank you for being you. xo

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    • Hi Ellen. I’m doing much the same thing. I’m continue a media black out, to the best of my ability, and then I’m going to dedicate myself to something that can help the process. And yes, the popular vote went against him. And why oh why can’t everyone vote. So many people sitting on the sidelines. We have far too much at stake.

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  22. You hit the nail right on the head Alys or to steal a quote from one of my favorite movies My Cousin Vinny “Dead on balls accurate”. It is the person with the most outrageous comments who monopolizes all the media attention. The American media should be ashamed of themselves for their conduct in this election process. They were more interested in shock value than covering the issues. I have to accept the results of this election but I have to say I am quite disturbed at the American electorate also. Keep your chin up my friend and the midterm elections are just around the corner. Maybe sanity will prevail and we could undo some of the damage that will take place in the next few years.

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    • Joe, well said. Sadly, sensationalism sells and it’s all about money. I get the bulk of my news from NPR, and though many accuse them of liberal bias, I find them largely fair and impartial. At the very least, they present both sides of a story and cover things in depth, and not just in sound bites. Our president elect garnered a ton of free publicity every time he opened his foul mouth. And here we are. It’s so depressing.

      I too hope we can undo some of this damage. It’s too disheartening to contemplate otherwise.

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    • Thank you for your comments, Laurie, and for joining the conversation. I have so much respect and admiration for all you do and have done over the years on behalf of your community. You set the gold standard for passion followed up by involvement. We need you now more than ever.

      Love to you, and thank you in return.

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  24. Pingback: Moving Forward – Gardening Nirvana

  25. Hugging you because that’s all we can do. A week later, my fears only seem to be justified. And heading home for thanksgiving to family who voted for this devil only brings more anxiety. These are crazy times. I used to feel relieved that I never had to live through the 60s, the Holocaust…i guess we’re all destined to experience dark days. Again, big hugs and I’m with you. Love from Texas, where we’re not all proud Texans. Ugh.

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    • Thank you, Leilani. Hugging you right back. Our local paper has an article today about the challenges of this upcoming Thanksgiving with family that voted (and thinks) so differently from the rest of us. I wish I could do something to alleviate your anxiety. We’re all anxious. Thanks for stopping by to comment. Love to you, Mr. Smith and the kitties.

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  26. You voiced my sentiments in such an eloquent manner. Still cannot the bear the thought of him as President. Still cannot stomach the vitriol that spews from his mouth.Still cannot fathom how he can even function in this capacity with so little knowledge or experience or compassion or courage or grace. Still crushed. Still wanting to hope for the best, but knowing we must be diligent and involved to bring our party together and actively stand against the hate we see in the country we love. Thank you for this post.

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    • Thank you for reading and commenting. I’m sorry to be getting back to your comment so late. It is crushing, isn’t it. And the bits I’m hearing about appointments make my heart sink further and further. I agree: diligence, activism and staying involved at a community level. And as you say, most importantly, standing up against hate.

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