Sitting in my house wrapping up work on a Friday evening thinking of weekend plans, and it hit me. I didn’t really stress about Trump or his administration once this week. I still see news headlines, and articles discussing his latest’s despicable behavior or awful attempts to overthrow the election. But it seems so surreal now. Christmas is around the corner, and a new year will be starting with vaccine distributions and a competent administration. And it feels so good.
Instead of worrying about our democratic institutions, or racial justice, or environmental collapse, I focused on a new Lemon tree, making a delicious homemade lasagna, and hiking plans. Its not that I forgot about those issues, or that they will go away, but I felt like I could take a break. And breaks are important. Trump created a stifling atmosphere of discord and malice. Working through that muck day in and day out was draining. We need real change, and its going to take hard work and perseverance, but self care and furthering other interests and skills is important. I gave myself a break, and the removal of Trump makes it so much easier.