The Sunshine Returns

There’s a freshness in the air today. It’s cool and crisp and clear and sunny. But it’s more than that. There is hope in the breeze. I can feel the heaviness fading a bit. I feel lighter in my step. After a long, dark, dismal winter is it possible we’ve found the sun again? No. It’s not Spring yet. By the calendar, it’s actually Thanksgiving week. Perhaps that’s the perfect name for this moment in history.

I’m not terrified at the thought of turning on the news today, as I have been for the last four years. Perhaps things are turning the corner. Could they be? The headlines speak of vaccines; multiple vaccines; 95% effective; tested and verified; waiting for peer and regulatory review. Can we finally see a way past this pandemic? After a year of darkness, suffering, depression, and fear can we manage a smile?

We are finally assured Trump will leave office in the coming days. The physical sensation of relief is like a cold drink of water in the summer or the hug of a loved one with the news that the test is negative. The nominations of key managers have been announced by the President-Elect. They are diverse, intelligent, experienced. How did we ever get away from those qualities in the first place? It’s a return to normalcy and competence in government. Oh, how we’ve longed for it these last four years.

It appears our Democracy may survive, though its fragility has never been more starkly evident. Serious reforms and changes are in order which will be quite difficult. Our 233-year-old Constitution is showing it’s age badly. But today there is finally hope in the air.

Finally, we can be confident and patient as the Presidential transition and vaccine rollouts proceed. Finally, we know better days are ahead. Let us carefully venture out of our caves and into the sun to embrace each other and resume our journeys so viciously interrupted these last four years. But let us never forget the many lessons, painfully learned. Politics and government service are vitally important and honorable careers. Government is not intrinsically bad. Competent, empathetic government is essential for our Democracy to flourish. Facts matter. Embracing truth is essential for civilized society. Democracy cannot survive without an intelligent, informed citizenry.

Happy days, my friends. Let’s work together and do the hard work to make our Democracy and the world better.