Well, I'm new here, and how splendid that my big debut on Odyssey is about Donald bloody Trump!

I was hoping that my first contribution could be something comparatively fluffy, lighthearted and fun, like about how much I love Green Day's "American Idiot" or surefire ways to infuriate a movie theater employee — both of which will find their way here, mark my words — but NOPE. The stars have aligned. The people have spoken, and the very last person I ever wanted to see become president... became president.

Full disclosure: I won't share who I voted for, but I couldn't take a chance voting for someone as mercurial as Trump. So yes, I was a Never-Trumper from day one.

I think Colin Jost described our sentiments best on SNL's "Weekend Update": Hillary Clinton is like the iPhone 7 because she feels like she's being forced on you and it's not much of an improvement. Trump is like the Samsung Galaxy because he could explode at any moment. It would be funny if it weren't so true.

Watching states turn red on the map (especially my own, Pennsylvania) was an agonizing experience, marked by fits of swearing, stunned silence, and dozing off listening to meditations on my iPod, until about 4 a.m. when it was announced that Trump had won the whole thing.

I woke from a groggy coma and burst into tears. I felt my blood pressure skyrocket. I felt my throat close up and my heart sink to the pit of my stomach. I was in utter shock at the events that transpired. I called my parents early that morning in soul-crushing despair, weeping because I felt so ashamed to be American and because life is going to become so much harder for so many people, with the legitimate fear that my country was going to turn into Nazi Germany or the setting of 1984.

I have acquaintances who are black. I have some who are gay. I have some who are Latino. Every single woman in my life has dealt with some form of misogyny. Like many, my great-grandparents were immigrants from Ireland and Germany. I had a professor at my old school who is from a Muslim background and she continually encouraged me to share my writings with the world. My brother is autistic. Thinking about these people who have been scorned by this hateful mass of Dorito vomit made my heart break.

Still, this afternoon, as mournful as I am for a country I no longer recognize, I felt a fire ignite in my soul, reading Facebook posts that were melancholy, but nonetheless hopeful for the future. In turn, reading these posts offered me a bit of a reality check.

Throughout his campaign, Trump promised he will make America great again.

And you know what? He's right, let's make America great again, my friends.

Let's put the "United" back in the United States of America.

Let's allow our tears to dry first, and then come back with a vengeance.

Though I was raised to have pride in my country, I understand our history has some ugly spots: slavery, Native American genocide, Jim Crow, you name it, and their influences are still felt today, unfortunately. It's important to recognize them and recognize that we can't change the past, but it's not too late to learn from our mistakes and change the future for the better.

It's impossible to change the future overnight, however. Instead, everyone should show some simple kindness. Comfort your friends. Call your family and tell them you love them. Heck, tell someone you like their shoes. Just, be kind. The little things add up.

To the wonderful people I've come to know who are black/Latino/female/LGBT/Muslim/immigrant/whatever... I will stand with you and I will be there for you. My mind, heart, and ears are open 24/7. If ever you need someone to talk to, I'll be there.

Let us all set aside our petty differences and work together to stand up to racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and every other "-ism" and "-phobia" in the dictionary that Trump so wishes to instill in us.

Love will always be the strongest force in the universe and will prevail every time.

No one said it was going to be easy, and the next four years certainly won't be easy, but if we come together and fight for what we believe in instead of falling for Trump's "us vs. them" rhetoric, it will make a world of a difference.

That's the thing about us Americans. Black or white, male or female, gay or straight, Republican or Democrat, we all share an unbreakable spirit. No matter what happens, we never take it lying down and we somehow manage to become stronger people in the process.