VOTE, VOTE, VOTE, VOTE, VOTE —
my college paper, the daily free press, didn’t need the extra staff that night. the op-ed had been written, the headline perfectly rang, and the tv was on — somewhat as a formality — to watch 2016 election results roll in. even though our dinky office was packed, i decided to stop by the paper on my way back from dance practice just to be part of the energy. i didn’t even open my laptop when i entered, but instead headed right to the american flag cookies and admired the soon-to-be front page that would grace our dining halls and student union.
heck, even though i was utterly useless that night, it has always felt right to be a journalist and be around journalists when history is being made.
then came philadelphia, a louder volume on tv, and silence. in a newsroom, the silence lended itself to an even louder sound: the heavy, haste type of new headlines and new-op eds. i still wonder who was tasked with throwing out the american flag cookies.
many journalists had the same experience as me in 2016, which has naturally has created a healthy layer of caution this time around. but even now that we know better, and have aged — the “when and where you were in 2016” feels like it’s a big part of today’s dialogue. in some ways, i think its a coping mechanism to go through the past and reflect on what we now see as so obviously short-sighted. in other ways, i think the fact that so many of us can remember the day of the 2016 election so vividly shows what an ‘aha moment’ that day was. regardless, it’s something i’m glad that many of us unintentionally snapshotted that 2016 day. now, even though the history book chapter is getting quite full this year, i want to remember with intention:
this year, i am very thankful to be living at home with my parents for election night. in 2008, we all slept in the same room and watched history be made. we’re doing the same set up this year — opting for the small screen upstairs instead of big screen downstairs — and this time we’re adding wine. to be around my parents is to have a comforting detail to this anxious day, and a silver lining to this horrible year.
anyways, i urge you all to reflect on your 2016 ‘aha moment’ to your heart’s content. then, i want you to think about how you’re spending tonight, find your silver lining, and be proud of how you are choosing to hope and feel in a year that has given us. every opportunity to do otherwise.
to the future,
n