Post-election America has been a crazy place, to say the least. There are acts of racism and sexism galore, there are protests, there are endless fights on social media. I've tried my best to get past my anger and give this country the benefit of the doubt, and frankly, I'm too tired to think too much more about it right now. To add to the stress that is life, college students everywhere including myself are going through their scheduled end-of-the-semester breakdowns because of finals and projects being due. To be frank, life sucks a little bit right now. Everyday anxiety is crippling, we're terrified of the world we've just recently gone out into and so much about our futures - both at personal levels and of the American population - is uncertain. So, with Thanksgiving coming up and the holiday season super ready to be in full swing, I've decided to shift my thinking to what I'm grateful for in this life, at the micro level, even through all of the travesty.

I am a student at a university that I love, with a diverse population that interacts with and loves one another more often than not. I have a family that loves and supports me through all of my crazy decisions. I have the freedoms to make these crazy decisions, like get more tattoos or buy a motorcycle. I have a few best friends and many friends that I get to share my life with. I have the best peers that build each other up and understand that we're all trying to graduate together. I have the craziest, most loving, most talented writers on the SIU Odyssey team with me, and we all have the freedom and the opportunity through Odyssey to share our opinions about the world. I am proud of myself for getting through school while working and being able to pay all of my own bills. I am proud and grateful to have enough money left over to get a milkshake every so often and save up for a study abroad trip. Thanksgiving is coming up, which means I won't be eating frozen pizza and queso for dinner for a few days. Every day, I get the chance to interact with, make memories with, make impressions to and even change the lives of people I care about, if only a by a small amount.

I am still trying to see the best in people. My heart is still full.

Starting with this holiday season, starting today, try to realize that there are still aspects of your life you can control; realize that the government or finals can never take away the bond you have with people and the way you change your community. Realize that nothing will change the way you can light up a room or say "hi" to make someone's day better. Finals may take every single bit of energy you have, and life may exhaust you, but those things are only temporary. Let the small things fill you up and hope that they are enough. This, too, shall pass.