The day is here. We have pulled democracy back from the brink of disaster. I keep thinking about how I felt on11/9/2016. I was stunned with disbelief. How could this have happened? And yet, from the moment Trump came down his golden escalator, I had an unquiet rumble sounding in my head and my heart.

There is still much work to be done.

But we should take a moment to savor the sudden release many of us are feeling. It’s the feeling you get when you see the car coming into your lane with just enough time to avoid a collision. It’s the feeling you get when you are the last car on the ferry, for the last boat of the night. It’s the feeling you get when a growling dog rushes the fence, and you realize that the fence will hold him, even as you feel the rush of wind and adrenaline.

We have narrowly escaped a future that writers of dystopian fiction foretell, and a past that historians write about 1930’s Germany and Europe. Meanwhile we still have a growing pandemic to deal with. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are not magicians. They can not wave a magical wand (sorry Pinky) and poof it away. They believe in science. They will lead with compassion and knowledge. They will listen to the scientists and encourage people to act in their own interest. Maybe without the threat of Trumps rage and instability hanging over them, even red state governors will start acting in the best interest of their constituents.

Is this a good time to plug masks with pandas on them available through Redbubble and Spoonflower?

So be of good cheer! We have vanquished the evil overlord, who would wish to be king. There is still hope for leveling the Senate playing field by winning the two runoff elections in January (Deadline to register to vote is December 7th, in Georgia, so if you live there, please vote!)