Here we are America. Election Day 2020 has come, and gone, and yet, there is no outcome. Like most of you, I’m not sleeping much. Up with the sun and counting long hours before I pad back to bed. At least there is always the sunrise for us to celebrate… At least that’s how I feel, happily on my mat with Yoga with Adriene, eyes wandering East, bringing hope and light into these dark days. How are you feeling?

I don’t want to minimize the fear and dread that so many citizens are feeling right now, some demanding the ballots to be counted while others are doubting the authenticity of the process. Actually everyone is struggling right now, right? Yeah, just like everything we have faced during this unprecedented year, we are once again in new territory, and trust that we will all get over the finish line together is low. Remember trust? We have been led into doubt so deep coming back will require great effort.

I do want to suggest that you, me, and all the rest of us, follow every nuance of netiquette available on our social media platforms. Yes, netiquette: “the correct or acceptable way of communicating on the internet.” This means you, me, and all of us, need to stop tweeting in all caps throwing insults toward anyone who we disagree with. Starting today, it is up to us to stop being crude and nasty and mean. If you have been using cutting irony or a sassy tone while feeling superior over others, cut it out, please. Emotions are high, but let’s remember that you will want your neighbors to still wave to you in December and even in that long cold January, regardless of who they or you voted for in this election. Use your voice to spread some love. Use your voice to heal. And let’s start this week, before any decision is made.

Civility is not easy for me, especially as I watch the Supreme Court decide the Legacy of Same-Sex Marriage. My wife and I joke about dating each other again when we lose our right to marriage, but we really can’t compare our lives to the systematic oppression of so many other citizens, those of color, those with economic disadvantage, those other than… period. We stand with you. And we will wait. Respectively. Watching the dawn.