As I write this, the 2016 presidential election is over. I’m not much into politics, but even I’ll admit that at the end I was sucked into some of the drama. What a frenzy.
This is not meant to be a political blog, but I will say that I am in the half of the country that is disappointed with the result. I could go on and on about the implications and how I feel, but I think the bigger point I want to make is how to process the results and move on.
Again, for half of the country, this is not what we expected. This was a shock and a loss. So, I encourage us to respectfully acknowledge our feelings and do the grieving and processing that is necessary. This will be different for everyone and may take some time. This also includes being respectful of those in the other half who see this as a victory. Give them the space to process their feelings as well. I think the first step is to reflect and find the meaning that will help you move forward. By the time I post this blog, this is a step that might already be finished for you. If not, be sure to give yourself the grace to pause and reflect.
Then, move forward. Did this make you sad? Angry? If so, what are you going to do about it? No matter how you feel, how can you put that energy into positive action? How can you be more involved in your local, state, or national communities to fight for the changes that are important to you? Don’t get me wrong, I am still grieving – I think this is going to take awhile for me to wrap my head around what happened. But, I am already thinking about ways I can help better the world. The election of a president you strongly dislike does not mean the end of anything – it means the beginning of having to fight harder to counter balance any of the initiatives you don’t agree with. We can do it. We can go on and still make the world a better place. I find a lot of comfort in the fact that progress is still always possible.