The Day After

I only have a few minutes to write this but I want to try to put down something in writing on this day, November 9, 2016. I woke up this morning hungover, very tired, and had to tell my two boys (a 4th grader and a kindergartner) that the bad man had won. I woke up in a similar state on September 12, 2001, in Brooklyn, with the exception that I had no children to explain this to. I am still grappling with the implications of this election, and what that will mean to our country. I can’t imagine all the progress that will be undone. My great hope is that there is no major calamity that befalls us, that nothing catastrophic can stop us from resisting the changes to our social, political, and environmental progress. I still believe in the idea of this country and don’t want to flee it. I want to stay and fight. I wish I had done more to oppose this villain.

To my boys: I will tell you what I have always said – we will treat other people with respect and dignity. And we will stand up for those who can’t stand on their own, we will fight for what we believe in, and we will be okay. This will all be OK in the end.