Election week 2020

 I want to write this post while the feelings are still raw and fresh. This was an incredible week for our country and I want to preserve it for my children. 

October 24, Ted and I voted early at our library. Happy to do it together, and do it early. 

Obligatory "We voted" picture! 

November 3, A friend described the day as anti-climatic as most people I know had already voted, and we knew we wouldn't start hearing results until after 7 PM. The day was pretty normal. 

I got home about 6:15 in the evening from an appointment. Ted, Hudson and Sadie were already out at karate, so the house was empty. This is my precious, new found time! I thought I would eat dinner in front of the TV and just see what is on the news. My plan was to only sit for the 20 minutes while I ate, but I couldn't get up. I couldn't believe they were calling states Red or Blue even before 7:30. It seemed way too early. Virginia turned Blue and the Democratic senator was reelected, but not the House, District 7 seat. I watched hopefully. I knew better than to think this election was in the bag, but I was hopeful none the less. There were vast differences across different networks of the numbers that were being called, it was frustrating to not have confidence in the information we were seeing. I knew I should just stop watching, it would all be sussed out in the morning, but for hours I couldn't pull myself away. 

Around 9 I tried to walk on the treadmill and watch some comedy (Schitt's Creek!), but our Wifi was being crappy and I gave up. The entire evening I was texting with my core groups of friends on various threads. We were hopeful but not celebrating yet. I went to bed about 11, knowing I had to teach at 6:30 in the morning, and knowing we wouldn't have an answer anytime soon. 

Wednesday, November 4. 

My home screens that change daily happen to come up blue on November 4! 

There was constant texting and meme sharing with friends through the day, also constant checking of websites and news. Biden was ahead, but it is was close, too close for comfort. Overnight though, Abigail Spanberger (our 7th District House Representative) did in fact win reelection! 

Thursday and Friday, November 5 and 6

The waiting and checking continued. All trends since Wednesday were putting Biden ahead, but it was too close to celebrate. There were memes about how slow some of the counting was going. The president was making many claims of voter fraud and suing battleground states Pennsylvania and Georgia. We wait, we hope, we keep our composure. 

Saturday, November 7

Sadie and I went to the grocery store in the morning, and when I got out of the store around 11:30 I saw many texts and a big smile broke out! I didn't even read them but knew something big and wonderful had happened. My friend Irene called and we just gushed excitedly. I brought in the groceries, quickly put away the refrigerated stuff, and turned on the TV. We all squealed with happiness. The kids have been watching the map closely the last few days, and even checking the electoral map during school and giving me updates! With the TV on just 5 minutes or so, the doorbell rang and our beloved neighbors that moved about 2 months ago were at the door to play, my kids grabbed their masks and ran out the door. Ted and I watched a few minutes but I needed to leave shortly after to meet a friend. We both texted each other and said how excited we were to celebrate together! 

Throughout the afternoon and evening there were a ton of texts from friends celebrating. The overwhelming feeling was relief and a restored belief in humanity. This is not an exaggeration. This year has been so upsetting, so trying, there's been so much hate and lack of reason and common sense that it's been challenging to make sense of the world and the decisions people are making. I tried not to let my mind go there, but in this long, contentious election season, I thought if he wins reelection, if that many people STILL believe in him, I am just going to be at a total loss. It will feel like example number 604 that I just don't understand people anymore. 

That evening, the friends that moved invited us over, and we had a wonderful evening of the kids running wild and free on their 50 acre farm, and just good old fashion chatting around the campfire. I honestly didn't know where they stood on the election so I did not bring it up. I got many texts about the speeches made that night, and even though I didn't stop to watch, I smiled to myself with each one. The communal sense of relief, joy and HOPE! Hope that we can get through the COVID crisis, hope that kindness will be restored, hope that diversity will again be celebrated and that elite 1% will not be more important than the other 99%. It's a sigh of relief, it's tears of gratitude, it's knowing our children will again have a positive role model in the White House. 

I watched Kamala and Joe's speeches the next day from my porch, filled with gratitude. 

We're looking forward to January 21, 2021, we will all be home and take time out to celebrate a new beginning and fresh start for our country. <3