Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania

Here we are the day after the election and who knew that democracy could be so stressful. Everyone in the USA and expatriates abroad are under stress. I myself feel my blood pressure at an all-time high. Imagine that we may have to wait until Tuesday for the military ballots from Pennsylvania according to Kathy Boockvar, Secretary of State of Pennsylvania, and maybe beyond for all the challenges.

I feel the need to evaluate and heal my stress and, in my journey, take you all with me.

I did my part to affect the outcome of the election, I voted and encouraged my family and friends to vote as well. There is absolutely nothing left that I believe I can do. I have a total loss of control.  I believe that I am powerless to help in any way.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

– Reinhold Niebuhr

I put my faith in the Constitution of the United States.  Yes, tricks can be played, and hopefully, under the careful watchful eyes of the professionals, they will be caught in time. Maybe there are people that saw something irregular, but no one has posted a crime stoppers’ phone number on TV and the Internet for people to call.

To find normalcy today, to find a level of calm, what can I do for myself? Watching the news 24/7 will turn me into a basket case for sure.  My family and business will suffer.

I believe I need to do, exactly what I did after my mother passed this January 2020.  After the initial week, I gave myself a personal amount of time each day to be sad and to mourn, and that was it. I tried to be disciplined, not emotionally cold.  I would wipe away a tear often during the day, but I would stand up tall and say, OK I will deal with it tomorrow. 

God may want me to be challenged and to live in an America I do not want, or God may want me to feel content and live in an America, that I do. Or perhaps I am destined to move to another country altogether.

?Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future’s not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera ?

So, this is what I am going to do.

1. Follow a routine of work, exercise, family, and fun and stick to it.
   
   
2. I am going to love the people around me and accept their kindness, as well.
   
   
3. Give myself no more in total one full hour a day that I may break into smaller parts – but absolutely – no more  – to check the election charts, my phone, the news, related emails, WhatsApps, or talk about the election with my family and friends.  
   
   
4. I am going to accept that I have done my personal best to help my candidate and it may be that saying a prayer is the challenge left for mankind these next few days.
   
   
5. Agree in my heart to accept the results when all challenges end, as definitive – not throw a tantrum and to fully move on with my life.

I wish you all a healthy routine, with which to find moments, hours and days of peace and contentment while the election is undecided.

Libby Hikind is the founder and CEO of GrantWatch that help nonprofit organizations and small businesses find funding for worthwhile programs for the greater good.

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