A Tentative Sigh of Relief

That sickening dread that keeps our shoulders up around our ears, bracing for the next blow is lessening.

If you celebrated when the US election results were called last week, you may have noticed a change in your body this week. Many of us are talking about it. The tight grip in our stomach loosening a bit. Our jaw unclenching. That sickening dread that keeps our shoulders up around our ears, bracing for the next blow, and the next, is lessening. When the results of the 2016 election came in, people reassured each other. It can’t be as bad as we think. In 2020, we know it can be that bad and worse.

Tentative because we don’t know what will happen between now and January 20th. Our survival brain is still pretty concerned. Yet the bells were ringing in Paris and there were fireworks and celebrations in the UK Saturday when the Biden/Harris win was announced. World leaders reached out with congratulations. Social media was flooded as ordinary people expressed their joy and relief. Friends in the US were touched to tears by the jubilation of people in other countries, expressing that for the first time in four years they feel like they are welcomed in the world.

How much harm has the media caused in giving President Trump a platform for his fear-mongering and lies? There are some…