Saturday was glorious! A door had been swung open and in poured fresh air. It was air scented with more like the fragrance of the first days of spring than the decay of November. Buoyed by joy, an attitude of magnanimousness permeated the environment. Let’s put the acrimony of the past behind us and move together into a new future. The watchwords of the day were let us heal our nation and let us work together, striving for that more perfect union.  It was a beautiful day.

It has been a long four years. It has been even longer than that since the escalator first downloaded the dystopian future that would soon envelope us. The wounds inflicted are deep. The first step towards healing a nation is to triage its wounds. Thankfully, much of what has been wrought can be easily undone. All of those Sharpie decreed executive orders can just be cross out. A new cadre of executive appointees can implement more humane and intelligent policies that will quickly release us from the past. But to truly heal we need to learn to work together. 

One advantage of a closely divided government is that you don’t need that many from the other side to form a majority. One or two will do in the Senate. It is not a forgone conclusion that this chamber will remain in its current hands, but it is more prudent to proceed as if it will. Compromise is not a four-letter word.

Our future is still uncertain. We’ve been here before. Reaching across the aisle requires another hand to shake. It falls not just on one party to cooperate, but both of them to make this work. There are signs that it could yet happen. A few have signaled their willingness to work together and the rest seem content to be consumed by their conspiracy theories. It was a narrow victory that has led to a delicate time. A time to proceed gingerly and not with the bombast of the past. Step gently and look before you leap, but don’t be afraid to jump ahead.