Stronger together: No matter your political party

Going to bed last night, I found myself in tears and speechless. I wasn't "overreacting" or "being dramatic," as many Trump supporters were quick to call out. I was facing a hard reality, and I was not alone. I called my dad in tears, waking him up from a 5 hour time difference, and asked "what are we gonna do?". Because I honestly didn't know.

This wasn't watching your favorite team lose the World Series, this wasn't the death of your favorite TV character, this was the election of a man who during his campaign has promised to shatter the diversity of our country, and has shouted hateful things towards minorities and especially women.

There is no do-over, there is no "maybe next year we'll win" or "they'll fix things in the next episode". And that scared me. I am scared for my LGBT friends, my friends who I met during college who came to America with the dream of higher education and a career, and my friends who rely on Planned Parenthood to guide them through womanhood and tough decisions they may need to make. As I said to a friend, you may not agree with me, but to completely disregard and to not respect the terror that these groups of people are currently feeling is not only horrifying, it is blinding.

I do not hate Donald Trump. I do not hate Mike Pence. I was raised with love, respect, and trust in my heart, and I was raised to love thy neighbor, even when that neighbor tests me. I do not hate anyone who voted for these men. We live in a country where free speech is something you're born with, not something you need to earn or fight for.

After the immediate shock, I did find it hard to connect on a personal level with my many friends who have supported these men. But after hours of feeling drained and too many tears, I have come to realize that this is how it will be. This is our country now. I can choose one of three things. I can purchase a one-way ticket to Italy, and eat pasta and drink wine for the next four years while I blindly avoid whatever is going on in my home country. I can refuse to accept his presidency and sit and complain for four years until the next election. Or, I can choose to accept this as it is, realize that our country has always been bigger than one man, and use my voice for the things I believe in for the next four years. This is how I choose to move on. I also choose to trust in my faith and hope to God that the racist, sexist comments and promises that Trump made during his campaign are only empty promises. I will pray that he has support and guidance from people who may lead him down a path with an open mind, to see that our country is already great, and that with the right decisions, he can help to make it even greater.

To my friends and family who are still reeling from the results: I know you are sad. I know you are scared. I am too. But as we have used our voices over the past year, we will continue to use them going forward. We are not silenced, we are not broken. This is a test of our strength. Strength to understand, strength to accept and strength to respect. Stay strong, and remember as Hillary has said, we are stronger together. So let's stay together. All of us.