Today was a rough day. Our whole family was discouraged and sad, having woken up to the election results. We spent the first half of the day holed up in the rv, in the parking lot at Walmart, in Asheville, NC, the kids doing their junior ranger books. I just didn’t want to face the world.

We finally dragged ourselves out and back onto the blue ridge parkway. We didn’t have the time (or heart) to do much, but then an extraordinary thing happened. On this stretch of the parkway there happen to be many, many tunnels. Now, tunnels are always fun, but for some reason, my one year old took a great delight in them. He squealed “nun-null, nun-null, eeeeee!” with his arms and legs flapping wildly. It was such pure joy, and infectious. It raised the spirits of everyone in the car to euphoric heights, as only the laughter of babies can.

But, it got me thinking. I can choose to focus on my disgust and discouragement, or I can choose joy and gratitude. I have so much to be thankful for. 

This is not to discount the feelings of others, or minimize the amount of work we have to do as a country and as individuals. I also understand I come from a white privilege viewpoint, and I would not want to preach to groups of human beings profoundly impacted by the recent vote. 

But, my small, insignificant piece of advice would be to find joy. Take 5 minutes to cuddle your little one, or walk in the woods. If we are to win this fight, we need to keep our humanity. We need to protect that part of us that feels happiness. It is so easy to lose that in anger, despair, cynicism. Find joy, that the fight may be worth it.

Oh, and I will catch up on the previous month. In fact, I have about 2 weeks qued up, I am just having issues with my phone and pictures (lack of data). Bear with me.