Choose.

I am not normally one to comment on political discourse. This ends today.

I know that I run the risk of losing friends. So be it.

I wanted to cultivate my blog to be a place where joy, authenticity, and liberation reign supreme. However, I cannot cultivate such an environment while remaining silent on things that matter.

This election mattered.

It mattered to me, my family, my friends, and the entire nation.

I am not pleased with the results. Not because my candidate lost, but because the victory of her opponent cemented the reality that, as much as I believed this nation has changed, it has indeed stayed the same.

I could go into a whole diatribe, but what is understood doesn’t need to be explained. He showed us who he is, he was chosen on purpose, and now the country has to face the consequences of its actions.

And now, I get to choose.

I get to choose whether or not I wallow in despair, or dust off the rubble and keep going.

I get to choose if I can once again overlook people I care about voting for someone who has demonstrated time and again that they do not care about people like me.

I get to choose whether I view their choice to vote for an ignorant, insolent bigot as a reflection of how they really feel toward me. I don’t get to choose to forgive, but do I choose to reconcile?

I get to choose how to channel my rage: do I choose to lash out, or do I choose strategic action?

I get to choose to believe that even in the face of incredibly harrowing circumstances, good will eventually prevail.

I get to choose to believe that while the consequences of this choice will be severe, we will eventually recover and rebuild.

I get to choose every day to go toward the light while acknowledging my rage and using that energy to do what I can to contribute to a better future in spite of the circumstances that surround me.

I choose joy.

I choose authenticity.

I choose liberation.