This week was incredibly hard. Everything moved forward as I'd expected, but that didn't make things any easier, as we all sat waiting for the election results. But...collective sigh of relief, right? Unlike some people, I'm not surprised by the near 50/50 split as far as racism goes. What is more shocking to me is how quickly people are willing to do away with democracy altogether. There's so much work to do on so many issues, and I hope the tightness of this election illustrates to people the depth of racist and nationalistic ideologies that many of our fellow citizens in this country embrace, even if it means tossing democracy out the door.

The weather was fantastic yesterday after the announcement, so I went for a walk with my brother and his girlfriend, then we went over to the local wine shop for a celebratory glass of champagne. It was great to share smiles with neighbors, toast one another, and cheer as cars went by honking their horns. It felt like a dream, and when I woke up this morning I was still in a state of disbelief. 

I read somewhere that many people are having a post-trauma-like response to the election. The feelings of hopelessness and fear have become such a part of many of our lives in the past few years that we've forgotten how to access joy. I find this to be, to a degree, true to my experience. So I'm being gentle with myself and reminding myself that it's okay to feel ALL the feelings, even if it's confusing at times and not in line with the way I *think* I should be celebrating. It's a complicated time with unprecedented changes.

Here are some interesting things from the past week...

Speaking of joy, here are a few ways to access it during challenging times. If you're finding it difficult to feel joyful post-election, even if things turned out the way you wanted, you're not alone. 

His House was one of the best horror films I've seen in a long time!

Whoa, there's water on the moon!

Trying to figure out what Trader Joe's offerings are worth checking out this Fall and Winter? Well, then you need these brutally honest (and hilarious) reviews from Janea and Shelby!