We are passing through fire

The flush of victory makes most people feel optimistic, and I admit, I have much less dread of the future than I've had for the past four years. There's still the very great worry of what will happen between now and late January, of course, and all the problems that aren't going to go away then either. But now I see things beyond that, and even beyond a vaccine that we now can rely on both receiving and trusting in whenever it arrives. When I step outside and see the autumnal beauty of the world, it no longer feels like a tragically doomed thing. We've got a few years, at least. The world will never be the same as it was before Trump or before COVID. But there are parts of it we can get back, if we just last long enough.
I'm not forgiving anyone, though. I swore I wouldn't four years ago, and I'm keeping to that. And I still don't think I'll ever truly love this country again. But there are many good people in it, and maybe it's a good idea to keep sight of that.