Day 217: Holding Our Breath--For My Kiddos

 Four years ago, I held my kids while they cried--disillusioned that our country could elect Trump, frightened for their friends, frightened for our country. I felt the same. We turned that moment into a lesson on activism and fighting the good fight even when you lose. We've been talking and fighting for four years. We are tired, but we are hopeful.

Today, we hold our breath...

We stayed up until the west coast came in last night, but then we went to bed knowing nothing more would happen last night. This morning, the first thing the kids asked was the status of the electoral college. I'm proud of how interested and invested they are this year. Having big kids has been one of my greatest joys, and here is what I want them to remember about this morning...

Kiddos,

I know we are holding our breath this morning. Here is what we have to remember: we hold our breath every four years, and that is not a bad thing. It means our government is worth investing our energy in and the system (more or less) works. It's not perfect, but it's ours. And we have to stay committed to it.

I've been through enough of these elections to know that we are always invested in the outcome of who will be our president, and we don't always know right away. We do know some things, though...

We know we are witnessing history. No matter what, this election will be one you will tell you kids about. No matter what, this is an inflexion point for our country. However, it is not an inflexion point for us. Our values, our vision, our guides don't change. If the election goes one way, our work becomes harder. We keep standing behind, beside, and when necessary in from of those who need us to lend our voices to theirs--even when our voice shakes. If it goes the other, we still have work to do. We don't sit it out. There will still be wrongs to right and leaders to hold accountable. Democracy doesn't stop when your guy is in the White House.

We also know we are witnessing our democracy work. You are watching votes be counted in nearly real time. We watched states go from pink to light blue on the map last night. Never forget that moment. Every. Vote. Counts. Don't ever waste yours. Whatever it takes. Cast your ballot. 

We also know we did every thing we possibly could. We can rest easy knowing we were good tired going into yesterday. We campaigned. We spoke truth. We did our part. That is all anyone can ask of you, kiddos.

So today, when we catch ourselves holding our breath, we will take another deep one. We will watch the map. We will keep talking. When we know the next answer, we plan the next step. All we have to do is the next right thing, and we will do it together.