I’m going to start with some honesty. I don’t have the energy for anything else at this moment, and I doubt you do either. This election has exhausted all of us. We struggle to know what to say to each other when the topic comes up, never knowing who supports who and what degree of excitement comes with that support. I’ve found myself in way more contentious conversations about it than I care to admit or remember. So here’s my honesty, because I know you won’t talk back: I’m terrified of this election. I’m terrified of a Trump presidency and terrified of the violent chaos that might come with a Trump loss. I’ve cried about it. I’ve ranted about it. And I feel a pit in my stomach over it, pretty much always.

But come November 9^th, if we’re lucky enough to know that soon, we will have a president-elect. I will either be relieved or terrified, and a lot of other people will be too. How am I going to handle talking to people who are celebrating while I cry? How will I handle people who feel threatened while I celebrate? How do we adjust to a new normal – one without a campaign?

I don't know. But I think it helps to try. It helps to remember that not everyone will feel the way you do about the results. Someone is going to feel alienated, that’s not news. But for me? I’m going to try to remember that even people who I fundamentally disagree with are people. They came to these conclusions from their personal experiences, they have their own pain, they have their own hopes, their own dreams. These people who will be celebrating while I’m crying, they believe that this right for them and for me and for America as a whole.

So on November 9^th, when I see my pro-Trump friends I’ll think about them as my friends, not Trump supporters. It’s not about pitying them in what you think is their incorrectness, it’s about respecting each other. I’ll be the first to tell you it will be hard, but I’ll also be the first to tell you it’s worth it. So, however you feel in November, I empathize. On November 8^th, go voice your opinion. And then on November 9^th, voice your empathy. Good luck. I think we’re all going to need it.