Make America Great again...in spite of the election

I remember, several months ago, talking to a customer at the Inn about the election.It was an older white guy, and I told him I was honestly scared by Trump's candidacy.

He told me not to be scared...to trust the process.

An older white man, with a good job, living comfortably...telling me not to be scared of what I was seeing...

We weren't even talking about Trump's views on women, at that point. We were talking about Trump's views on minimum wage, and the fact that he was telling people to just get better jobs. There was some discussion of the "people who aren't nice to ladies shouldn't get to be president"...but mostly, at that point, it was more of a financial discussion.

Trust the process, he said...don't be scared, he said...

Well...I trusted the process...and participated in it...and here we are.

So, what now?

Well...can we do better? Can we, as a people, be better?

Trump was elected. This is what the voting public said they wanted. But the voting public isn't everyone.

I know there are people who didn't vote, or couldn't vote, and I'm not going to condemn that. It happened, and it's over. But those people are still out there, and we need people to be better than what the public leader that America has just voted in appears to be.

We need people to be kind, and understanding, and helpful. We need people to work together to make the country, and the world, better. Actually...the country and the world may be too big and imposing a target to really aim at. Lets try for just our communities.

Each of us has a different circle of influence. For some people...politicians, celebrities, and large business owners... it includes hundreds or thousands of people. For others of us, our circle of influence is much smaller. It's our children, and their friends, and the people we see at work, on the bus, or at a bar. But those people in our circles of influence...they have their own circles, too. These small circles can bloom, and add up to being the culture and world that we actually want to live in. So...be kind. Be kind so someone you don't know who you just come across. Treat your subordinates at work like you would like your bosses to treat you. Treat people, ALL people...women, LGBTQ, Muslim, Mexican, Rich, Poor...as if they have value, because they do.

Stand up for people who can't stand up for themselves. Don't just turn away when someone is being picked on or treated badly. Say something, or at the very least, offer them support and let them know they're not alone.

There is no "us vs. them". It's all us. Making someone else's life better doesn't make your life worse. Making someone else's life better raises the base level for everyone...including you.

Please...help me show our children that we're better than the future we're all afraid of. Don't just ride out the next four to eight years...show that we can do this, and be better. Let the manure we all think we've landed in be the fertilizer to grow a better world.