Optimism

I’m an optimist, yes I am.

I’m an optimist and I give a damn.

I think the election all went wrong.

I think we’re singing a terrible song.

But what can I do, what can I say?

To help the hate and fear go away?

I could scream, yell, and say “boo.”

But that’s no help to me or you.

Now we must resist the powers of hate.

We must look toward a sunnier fate.

Be kind to those of a different race.

Look ‘em in the eyes, what’s wrong with that face?

“Nothing!” I say, now you be nice.

Be kind today, let’s thaw the ice.

Trump has been given four whole years.

And I shudder to think of all the tears.

But we must go on and give a damn,

I’m an optimist, yes I am.

So anyway…. One week ago today, as I experienced the same shock as the rest of the world, I took a camera out into my yard. It was a gorgeous, sunny day. No frost yet, so the jungle yet stood. Devastated as I was by the results of the election, I found myself feeling incredibly optimistic. Inexplicably so, perhaps, but there you have it. I am an optimist all the way through and it’s a damn handy trait to have about now. I see a bright future for me and my family, my country and the world. I think we are off on a wild detour which will prove to be fraught and troubled, but we are going to come around to a better place. The raw pessimism of the American electorate has been exposed and from there we can begin to heal. I believe in long-term macro trends and I think we are fundamentally headed in the right direction. I’m an optimist, yes I am. The extremes to which Trump and Bannon will go to make their hateful point will yield a strong reaction which will ultimately undermine and overwhelm their position. It might take a while, but I think that is where we are headed. It won’t be easy. It won’t always be friendly. But we are launched in a new direction which will ultimately bring us to a better place, even if the initial ride is bumpy and awful.

Here are pictures I took last Wednesday, November 9. The theme in my mind as I framed the pictures and captured the light was that of OPTIMISM. It is not fake, I was really feeling it. Even though my team had lost, my optimism was singing a joyful song. Can pictures capture and portray a sense of optimism? Perhaps. Look and see. Here’s my yard the day after the American election. I hope you see good things.