“I know what I have to do now. I’ve got to keep breathing because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring.” — Cast Away
We went to bed early last night, just as the county results for Georgia and North Carolina were starting to come in and you could see a rough picture of the electorate. I slept terribly, waking up multiple times, but never checked the news until morning. Mostly I was thinking of what I would do next.
I walked to the coffee shop. Not the closest coffee shop. Not the second-closest. A longer walk, and on the way I checked the mailbox. The new Micro.blog t-shirt had arrived. I think it turned out great.
Apparently the stock market is reacting well this morning. Fine. I plan to milk this idiotic new administration for all the financial gains and tax cuts off the backs of working people that I can. Elections have consequences, assholes. And I’ll use every penny to fight Trump, fight misinformation, fight the hellscape of mainstream social media.
I won’t dwell more on politics except to say that Democrats have lost rural America. Too many people feel left behind. Too many people still had no idea who Trump really was. Too many people have no ideology so don’t know who to blame when life is hard. Biden has done a lot of good, but it’s the kind of progress that takes years to notice.
I was inspired to vote for Kamala Harris, but it’s especially disheartening to now know we should have stuck with Joe Biden. Yes, he would have lost. Most candidates would have lost this year. But Joe was ready to take one for the team because that’s the kind of person he is. Then Kamala could’ve run in 2028 for the first time. Now that story is just another what might have been.
Loss can be a huge motivator. After my father died, I got married, had kids, and bought a house. After the 2016 election, I launched Micro.blog. After my kids moved away to college, we sold the house and downsized.
Change is part of life. Everyone will cope in their own way. Give them the space they need. For me, I’m writing this blog post, and I’m picking up in Xcode where I left off yesterday.
There is a lot to do. Let’s get to work.
