It\u2019s the day after the United States of America elected Donald J Trump President, once again. Fitting; that the sun didn\u2019t come up this morning. Instead, it was a steady gray rain. Like many millions of Americans, I can\u2019t process the election results, yet. But there are some \u201crules\u201d that might help all of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1.\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t be embarrassed.\u00a0\u00a0We lost; we lost when we HAD to win, we lost when we believed (and still believe) democracy is on the line.\u00a0\u00a0But it wasn\u2019t from being lazy, and it wasn\u2019t from some failure in the campaigns.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Our brother and sister Americans who voted for Trump absolutely see something completely different than we do.\u00a0\u00a0That\u2019s just what it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2.\u00a0\u00a0Hold you head up high.\u00a0\u00a0You did all you could do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Don\u2019t judge.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019ve heard it already:\u00a0\u00a0it\u2019s because she was a woman, or Progressives had too much to say in policy, or we defended the LGBTQ too much, or Democrats must completely start over.\u00a0\u00a0Most of that is, what the kids call, \u201cBS\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0We are far too close to the \u201cscene of the crime\u201d to have any perspective on what happened.\u00a0\u00a0Wednesday morning \u201cQuarterbacks\u201d aren\u2019t playing on Tuesday night for a reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4.\u00a0\u00a0Stop listening to Kornacki.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0And don\u2019t hate him either. He is only the messenger.\u00a0\u00a0He just reads the stats, he doesn\u2019t make them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t leave the country.\u00a0\u00a0You\u2019ll still be an American, whether you live in Costa Rica or Canada or Portugal.\u00a0\u00a0Leaving the country won\u2019t change your heart.\u00a0\u00a0It will just take away your power to make a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6.\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t drink to excess. Take it from me, the news is even worse when you\u2019re hungover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7. Gird yourself for the future.\u00a0\u00a0First, do what you need to do to protect yourself and your family; legally, emotionally and\u00a0financially.\u00a0\u00a0Start small with that.\u00a0\u00a0More global issues come later.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n