Final Thoughts

Today I woke up disappointed, sad, and feeling uneasy. Through my 22 years, I have seen lots of bullying, lots of putting other people down, and lots of anger. In 2016, I saw that more clearly when a bully decided to run for president. I thought it was a joke to be honest. How could people even hear what he was saying, see what he was doing, and still vote for him? Today I woke up and decided not to look at my phone. I fell asleep before the decision was made so I just planned on pretending I didn't know the outcome. Then I heard my sister say to my mom before heading to work that she hopes she isn't the one to be made fun of next. I knew at that moment who won and my heart sank. No, it's not dramatic for me to feel like this. My sister is 25 and has Down Syndrome. She has gone her whole life with the stares, the name calling, the discrimination. She is smart enough and old enough to know when it is happening to her. Jess has always come out on top though because of who she is. Now, a president, the commander in chief, is her biggest bully. Just because someone has Downs doesn't mean they don't understand what is going on in this election or what they've seen in the commercials. I was nervous she would see Donald Trump make fun of a disabled man, but thought maybe she wouldn't (She loves TV though so that was kinda stupid of me to think she wouldn't.) I was wrong. She did. And she knew exactly what he was doing because it's been in front of her face all her life. I am sad for her. I am sad for her friends. I am just sad. But I know she'll come out better than before. Hillary spent time and energy trying to make her life better and it's worked overall.

4 out of 6 people in my house are women, 5 out of 9 if you want to count our dogs. We are a home affected by this man because of our gender. We are affected by this man because of my sister. If anyone treated me like Donald has treated women, my dad would have their head. The fear of walking alone in the dark is real for women. The fear of a man approaching us and not taking no for an answer is real for women. Now we have a president who does just that by letting men and boys know that this behavior is okay because hey maybe one day you'll be president.

I am a woman, I have friends who are minorities, I have a sister with special needs, I have women in my life that I look up to, I have a dad who would never let a man treat me like that, I have LGBTQ friends, and I am so sorry. So sorry to all of these people that were let down by America. But one thing Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton taught us...when they go low, we go high. Today we must stay high. We are worth more than what Trump has made us out to be. We are worth more than this election. We will be okay if we choose lover over hate. We will be okay.

And one more thing to add. My grandfather was a veteran. My family continues to have people who serve as well as friends. I am not ashamed to be an American. I am not unhappy to be an American. Right now, I am sad, yes, but tomorrow I will wake up and be happy again, happy to be a woman and happy to be an American. Today I am sad, but tomorrow it'll be okay. And I plan on learning as much as I can about Trump and having an open mind on him starting tomorrow. I did give him A LOT of second chances, but he is the president. He won fair and square. Life will go on and we will get to see what he is truly made of. He has the time to prove himself to us so let him do that. Let him show us who he is as president. Maybe, just maybe he'll prove us wrong. God, I hope so.

Don't let this election ruin your friendships. Don't let this election bring you down. Don't let this election tear you apart. We are all entitled to our opinions and it's time to accept each other's voices and move on.

xoxo,
A