They say when it rains it pours.

Sometimes it does.

And sometimes you drown, but sometimes you float. And I know that Americans are great swimmers.

I know that some people are very scared. I know that many are fearful of what may become of this nation due to the results of the election. You cannot be afraid of the monsters that could be under your bed, or the phantoms you see in your closet only at night.

Bad guys do not only exist in bedtime stories, nor do they solely exist in fairytales. They are real. The monsters under your metaphorical bed are sometimes real too.

And it is scary. You’re allowed to feel scared. You’re allowed to scream, and sob, and whimper, and gasp, but you are not allowed to give up without a fight. No matter where you are on the spectrum of fear, stand tall.

I believe in superheroes, and miracles. And above all, I believe in the American people.

Be your own superhero. Be the superhero that you need right now; be the superhero that your neighbor needs; be the hero that your country needs. And continue to hope for miracles, and the potential that tomorrow will bring.

I already know that America is great. Yeah, so, we have our kinks. The election results were disheartening, and I found myself in a living room nervously eating pretzels while I skim through readings, study for French, and bite my nails at the dangerously close election, and the unsettling dropping stock market.

I was mystified by the results, yes, but frightened? No. Because I know that at the end of the day, the hero wins. The good overcomes the bad. The love overcomes the hate.

If I was truly jaded by life, then I would be a pessimist to the world around me, but I’m not. And I am certainly not disillusioned to the current state of the world. The world’s practically on fire at this moment in time, and it’s fine, we are just waiting for it to be drowned out.

If you’re cynical to these ideals, then you’re apart of the problem. No, you cannot change what is already written, but you do not have to dwell on the potentially negative outcomes of your future. We have the power to shape our future, so with that responsibility in our hands, it’s our job to do with that what you will.

But you have to face your fears instead of running, hiding, and blindly accepting your fate. With that, you cannot turn bitterly against the world --you have to face it. You have to love it, and treat it better than it did to you today.

And that’s hard.

And it’s scary.

You cannot heal the scars yesterday immediately today, but (in the words of the cult classic A Cinderella Story and the legend Babe Ruth) “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”

Therefore, do not let the fear of what may happen tomorrow keep you from changing today. Do not let it keep you from changing the world next week. Do not be afraid of saving the world right now simply because everyone is telling you today that it will crumble tomorrow.

Today, you will have to work with the obstacles thrown at you. Likewise, today you are to work with the potential of tomorrow.

America is still great. We have reached a roadblock, but I believe that this generation will make a difference. We have too much potential for it to be wasted on fear. Do not let this fear control your actions. Do not let fear control your today. Do not stand somberly to the side. Get up. Have an opinion. Say it loud. If you are scared, be the comforter that you need, so that you may be an example your neighbors may also need.

As I told my flustered roommate Nina: I am optimistic because I know that there are still people of America who are good people, even if our circumstances are not.