Post election reaction (Am I the American I should be?)

For the last six or seven months, I have endeavored to avoid becoming publicly embroiled in all of the controversy surrounding our presidential election.  I have come to believe that my personal relationships are much more important than the disagreements that sometimes arise in political discussions.  That is not to say that I did not retain an opinion because I certainly did.  It's just that taking the opportunity to disseminate that opinion was much less important to me than the relationship with my friends.

In this blog entry I will disclose how I voted, and my reaction to the outcome.  But the conclusion that I have come to should be applicable to all who read these paragraphs, and might not even be controversial.  Let's see.

First, I must remind us all of the great concern and even anxiety that every engaged voter experienced in the final days and weeks leading up to the election.  This applies to voters on both sides of the election and the corresponding issues.

I must now admit that I was (am) disappointed in the outcome of the election.  Election night was a gloomy affair for me.  When it became obvious that Ohio and several other needed states had moved away from my chosen candidate, I went to bed.  Not that I slept for awhile, because of the disappointed feelings I had.  What to do now?

I wondered how those on the opposite side felt, and I had a pretty good idea.  It is exactly how I would feel, and I know how I (and my "half" of the country) would likely have reacted.  It is how the winners felt and likely reacted as well.  Let me describe it for you:

Had our guy won, we would have all taken a deep sigh of relief, relaxed (read celebrated) for a few minutes, and then hit the sack for a deep rejuvenating sleep.  We would have wakened the next morning with the assurance that "the adults are back in charge," and the confidence that all would now be well - many worries would be behind us.  I would have relaxed, taken a seat (figuratively), and crossed my legs, relaxed in the knowledge that a new administration would take over in January.  But should that have been my reaction?

After a fitful sleep I woke up feeling less than rested, and with none of the assurance that I might have had if circumstances had been different.  But I did ask myself "what now, how will this election affect me?"  The answer that hit me is the same that I should have found if my candidate had won the election!  And it came about as I reminded myself of something I remembered saying awhile ago. It is not the answer, but it led me to it:

       "If I am not successful in this life, I cannot blame the President of the United States.
         If I am successful in this life, the President of the United States does not get the credit."

So with that knowledge, what do I do with this election, or any election in the United States?  Of course, I do what I can to vote my conscience.  But after that, what is my "job" as an American citizen, and have I really been doing it the best it can be done for all these years?

Here's what I need to remind myself to do:

1.) Take care of my family and myself.  Aggressively!  Seems intuitive (and of course, we all want to do it), but part of that understanding comes from the fact that no other human can be relied on to do it.  No one (not even the government) is as interested in my welfare or that of my family.  In fact, no human being or organization is capable of caring for me and my family as well as I can.  And no one cares like God and I do!

2.) Be the best I can be in absolutely everything I attempt.  This means going the second mile every time, with every task, in every endeavor, and not allowing circumstance to easily derail me from that goal.

3.) Recognize the circumstances of my life that I can control (there are more than I think there are), and take control of them.  Recognize the circumstances of my life that I cannot control (there are fewer than I think there are), and put them into the hands of God and leave them there unless (and until) they move into the "controllable" category.  But of course as a Christian, I believe "He's got the whole world in His hands."

4.) Exercise serious stewardship over the strengths and gifts given to me by God.  Of course this means ensuring my financial situation is in order.  This also means I'll do everything in my power to be a good steward of another asset provided to me by the Lord - my physical body.  Time to do all those things I know to be true regarding getting healthy - diet and exercise and rest and recreation and trust in God (all these things are stress killers)!

Perhaps these things are just something in my life that I need to re-examine, and that most readers of this column are way ahead in this.  I hope so!

So what am I really writing about here?  I am writing about the fact that we still have enough freedoms in this country to be the kind of Americans that came here in the first place seeking the American Dream!

And just what is that American Dream?  I submit to you that it is not a house with a picket fence and 2.5 children, nor is it a government check nor accessible health care, nor even safety.  And certainly it is  not at all about stuff!

The American Dream is self-determination and freedom!  I am determined to do all in my power to enjoy to the full the freedoms that we have to make our own way in this country.  And if I do not, I cannot blame any president for my failure to do so.

This is the American I should be, and so many others were this way out of necessity when our country was founded!  And has that "necessity" diminished?  I submit to you that it has not!

Would I be thinking about this as much if my candidate had won?  Probably not.  It has become natural for Americans to "relax and rely."  Should it have been my response if my candidate had won?  Absolutely!

And most importantly, I am determined to give glory and honor to the One that gave to me the freedoms that this country recognizes!

God bless America!