Where were you when you heard the big news?
I was at work, live streaming CNN from my phone app. I brought a phone charger to work for the occasion. After four sleepless nights and restless days, I was not going to miss the moment of the announcement.
It was Saturday, Nov 7th 2020. I had stayed up past midnight almost every single night since Nov 3rd, in hopes of some good news. From horror on the first night to muted thrill on Friday night, I was exhausted but most invested I have ever been in an election. When I looked at my work calendar in the beginning of the year, I was relieved to see I was off work on the 3rd and 4th. Little did I know, four days later, we still didn't know the final result of the 2020 election. I downloaded the CNN app and returned to work. It was mostly on mute, because I work in the reddest part of North Georgia.
I have never been very invested in politics. First time I looked up and paid attention to an election was when Obama won in 2008. I didn't vote. I was in medical school and tunnel vision was name of the game. I remember tearing up for progress, and blogged about hope. Fast forward to 2016. I was shocked at the election results but told myself it "couldn't possibly be that bad". After all, the US government is all about checks and balance.
I was wrong. The following four years yielded horror after horror. Just when you think it couldn't possibly get any worse, the administration showed no regard to humanity, no regard for peace, no regard for common decency.
I registered to vote sometime in 2017. And I waited, patiently, for the 2020 election, for the moment when I can join the country and kick (I mean vote) him out of office. I am slightly ashamed to say my hatred for him runs deep, it is personal.
When CNN announced for BIDEN-HARRIS at 11:25 AM, I cried. I saw the new counts for Pennsylvania came up and unmuted my phone. I sat forward, my heart stopped, and when Wolf Blitzer projected the presidency for BIDEN, I screen captured that moment. I sat in relief, happiness, tears of joy. Wolfe said "for tens of millions of Americans, this is the end of a nightmare".
I pray for safe transfer of power. I pray for the future of this country. I pray for the shining beacon of hope to regain its brightness. For four years, it was shrouded in the dark grey shadow of a narcissistic and unconsciounable leader. Please, let this be a new beginning.
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." - Dr. Martin Luther King
