politico.

I've always been a little bit of a news junkie. If it didn't bug my roommates or family, I could watch the news all day long. In high school, I was the geek who listened to talk radio. I work in a newsroom. So you can imagine that for the last couple of months, the news has been like crack to me {too far? Sorry}. I've been very interested in what has been going on in our country in terms of the election. The first time I voted four years ago, I was indifferent. I was 19, wasn't in love with either candidate, but voted so I could get a sticker. Lame, I know. But this time, there was a candidate I cared about, who I wanted to win. I did my research, I stayed informed, and I was confident there would be a different outcome. 

Last night my candidate did not win. It was a bit of a blow. One of the worst feelings is when you don't get something that you're so sure of. I was sad, and still am, because I feel as though he could have done great things for this country at a moment when we needed great things to happen. But the best thing to remember is that there is a bigger plan in all of this, and none of us is in charge of it. 

What disappointed me more than my candidate losing was the reaction of some friends, on both sides of the aisle. I'm a competitive person, but I draw the line at rubbing a win in someone's face. At a sport's event, that's fine, although I still don't really condone it. But politics is so much bigger than that. A win means so much more. The vitriol and hate, on both sides, that was felt after the results came in broke my heart. Our country is so divided, and much of it is divided on who's "right" and who's "wrong." As long as we're divided, nothing can ever be solved. 

So while I may not agree with the majority of our presiden't policies, the best thing I can do over the next four years, rather than spew hatred, is to use my right to change those policies through voting and to support my country. I can stay informed about what is going on. We all know that conditions in the world will be getting worse. That's not really a secret. We're seeing that every day. But if we're so divided and choose to rub losses or victories in one another's faces, nothing will be accomplished. 

I hope for a better four years. We don't know our futures, but I'd like to think that I'll be raising my children in a country that recognizes the amazing things it has done and the amazing things it is capable of doing. I'm terrified to bring children into a place where there can be so much hate. 

So here is to the next four years. They may be good, they may be bad, but we can rest assured that, as long as we unite ourselves and trust in God, great things can happen. As Alexis de Tocqueville said, "The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults."

P.S. Mitt and Ann, you are classy, classy people. Thank you for accepting the loss with such grace.