In regards to the events of last week's election, let me share a story with you:
When I was really young, terrified and in desperate need of comfort, I ran to my dad because I was afraid of the dark. I had been asleep in my room only to wake up and realize the horror of the unseen. Trembling with fear, I approached my dad, who was awake in the living room.
He asked, "What's wrong?"
I told him I was scared of the dark. He held me in a big hug, and told me there was nothing to be afraid of.
Now if that's where the story ended, you'd probably think, "Oh, what a sweet, comforting memory!" But of course, with my dad, it couldn't end there. You see, he is all about lessons.
So he walked me back to by room, and we sat on the floor in the dark. I was still so, so scared even with him there to protect me, but then he taught me something that I still remember today.
"Everyone is afraid of the dark at some point," he said. "Even I was. I still am sometimes. Max[my brother] is, Mom is, and even Izzy and Amber[my childhood dogs] are. It all started with the cavemen and their families. It was smart to be afraid. They were scared at night because they didn't have light to see if there was any danger. That's the reason everyone is scared of the dark even now. It's a part of being a human. We're only frightened of the dark because there is no light to let us know that there is nothing there. You just have to remember, and trust that you are safe."
It helped a little. I may have been thinking of all of the predators that could have gone after the cavemen for a little bit, but it definitely helped. If anything, I was reassured that Dad was there to hold me even though I was scared.
That story sticks with me even to this day because not only is it so special and sweet, but it also is a reminder that darkness only seems so threatening when we forget what the world looks like in the light.
In the past week I have seen a world overcome with the fear of darkness. If you are excited by the chosen President Elect, I am happy you've found and elected a candidate you support. If you are not, every four years half of the country will be unhappy, and I guess it's just your turn to be a part of that half.
For those of you living in despair, I get it (I really, really do). You are upset, angry, scared, terrified, hopeless, numb, bitter, worried, etc. It’s okay to feel all of those things. Congratulations, you are a human with the capacity to feel all of those emotions. You can feel; you are alive. If you want/need to feel all of those things for a while—please do. Feel for a while and mourn if you have to. By all means, feel human emotion, but please do not let it take you over. Don’t let your heart lean into fear over hope.
In moving on from last week, it is so important to remember that there are so many good things in the world and about the United States. If we choose to live in the light and armed with the knowledge that people still care for one another, dogs are still so pure and cute, the sun is still rising and setting, and that there is so much hope to be had, the darkness becomes way less scary.
