Just breathe…

Did you hear that? More importantly, did you feel it? It’s the collective breath of relief as the huge dark cloud that has enveloped my country started to lift on Saturday. What were you doing when you heard that the 2020 election had been called for President Elect Biden and Vice President Elect Harris? I was working at the hospital. My friend Britany sent me a text. Then my phone started blowing up with news notifications.

Of course, now we have the promised dispute from 45 and his cronies. They have been working diligently over the past months to not only make voting more difficult by slowing down our mail system, but to also sow the seeds of doubt in our very safe voting systems. Conspiracy theories abound. Social media posts from “ballot counters” confessing to throwing out thousands of ballots. Hmm… how come Republicans still have a majority in the Senate? Sigh. His court cases are already being dismissed.

I have to admit, there were a few days that I felt like this election was going to turn out just like 2016 all over again, when we were expecting a landslide for Hillary. This time, the numbers in the polls were even stronger for Biden. He won the popular vote by over 5 million.

I just don’t understand how anyone could rationalize voting for Trump again. Hide behind your excuse for voting for the economy and all you want. But to vote for tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations instead of for social justice and equal rights for all? Who are we as a nation? Seriously. We have no empathy and no moral compass. I don’t want to hear about what a “good Christian” Trump is. Holding up a bible in front of a church you’ve been in once because you had to does not constitute moral fortitude. It does pander to evangelicals, though.

I still fear that there will be civil unrest. This is far from over. Trump, of course, refuses to concede. And while I am encouraged that some Republican leaders have accepted the results of our election, there are others who are standing by their man. I’m also certain that the current administration is going to do everything in its power to make the transition to the Biden team as difficult as possible.

Still, I was in tears listening to both Harris’ and Biden’s speeches. Maybe Biden wasn’t my first choice for President, but maybe he’s just what we need. A grandpa-like figure who has been there, done that, and with just the right perspective to help us heal. And he’ll work on this with a cool aunt by his side who is young, vibrant, and eager to serve our country, making history as the first woman and woman of color to serve as our Vice President.

Let’s not forget that our work is not done. Just because we squeaked out this win for the Democrats, we still might lose the Senate, which puts us in the same boat as we were in the Obama administration. We will have to wait for the runoff elections in Georgia to see. And we need to hold Biden accountable for his promises to continue to fight for social justice and environmental protections. It’s time to heal. Our work is just beginning.

How do you feel about the results of the election? Are you cautiously optimistic like me? I’d love to hear about your opinion. Barring any civil unrest, I will plan to return to regular wellness and vegan content! As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.