About now, barring tragic events that nobody sane wants but nobody sane can completely dismiss, the inauguration is over. I feel less the elation of a short term event and more the satisfaction of having endured a marathon. 2020 has been the longest year of my life. I’m glad it’s over.
I’m thankful there isn’t concertina wire strung around my capital.
I’m thankful the election of 2024 was (mostly) without weird cascading statistical anomalies. It wasn’t perfect; California took a month to do a one day job and several other states went to the wire trying to protect their “machines of statistical oddity”. (I’m looking at you Pennsylvania.) I (and you) were spared the sinking disorientation of going to bed after a nice solid election only to wake up in what I came to call “the Bidenverse”.
I’m thankful to have new knowledge. Back in 2016 a lot of people lost their mind when Hillary lost. I called it cognitive dissonance and expected the exhaustion of pointless anger to finally bring them back into the fold of sanity. Silly me. When Covid hit, I thought “maybe a challenge not caused by politics but a pathogen can bring us together”. Silly me. I gained new knowledge. I have a different understanding of the maturity and character of a goodly portion of humanity. It wasn’t a fun thing, but I thought too highly of fellow man in general. It’s good to correct that omission of thought. (Don’t think all is cynicism, I also saw my nation refuse to be further manipulated. They were pushed very far but not all the way. That’s a good thing.)
I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to stand on principle. I took an unpopular, socially isolating, stand against the vax and I was 100% sure that I’d wind up fired. I sure didn’t want that! Yet, I’m glad that God gave me a challenge so mild! Getting fired and harassed at the grocery store? How much worse have braver men faced! That so many folded is none of my business. We each made our decision and it is our lesson to individually learn. And for that matter if you loved the vax good for you. I’ve got nothing against other people’s choices. I only want the freedom to make my own choice.
I’m thankful that, when someone I love was dying in the hospital, it was after the time of holding a patient hostage and away from unvaxxed loved ones. I couldn’t have borne that. Maybe God knew and cut me some slack.
I’m thankful that we all have seen that the Executive can and has functioned without a President (or at least a functioning one). The machine staggered on with no or many hands on the wheel. Perhaps people would get less wound up about who is president if they realized he’s merely one man in a big world?
I’m thankful we returned to free travel within the Nation. I never thought that would be a problem but it got pretty sketchy for a while.
I’m thankful a man falsely accused and indicted became more popular and not less.
I’m thankful that people pardoned can be called to testify under oath and threat of perjury and they cannot “take the fifth”. I don’t know if this will even matter but it might.
I’m thankful the President can announce a change to our foundational document (the constitution) and the people will react with a big huge yawn because the president can’t do that. We really owe Biden a big one for that and it was only 3 days ago.
I’m thankful the political prisoners Biden kept may soon be free. I missed living in a nation that didn’t have political prisoners.
I’m thankful the press, which lied constantly, is now known by nearly every citizen as completely untrustworthy. That they’re making lawsuit payouts and getting fewer viewers than independent podcasters is icing on the cake.
I’m thankful I’m still standing.
That’s a short, off the cuff, list. I’m absolutely awash in gratitude. I’m celebrating by doing nothing other than breathing in the air of someone who’s been unburdened of a great weight. I’m hunkered down at my house burning firewood and trying to keep the pipes thawed. (That reminds me, I’m thankful I’m still healthy enough to cut and use firewood.)
Enjoy today everyone. You made it thought a 4 year 2020. You earned it!
