i love you, america

there's been a lot of excitement tonight.

honestly, i'm glad the election is over. i sometimes make light of politics, and i often have a hard time being as invested in political issues as i should be. this is probably because i am not incredibly personally interested in many of the issues, and also, the pettiness and arguments that always seem to accompany political dealings are a real turn-off for me. i get really tired of the negativity, from campaign ads to facebook posts, so i couldn't wait for this day to be over and the election madness to fade away. but as much as i dislike many aspects of politics, i really do believe that it's important to be politically aware and active. i've done a lot of research on the candidates and the issues and i was excited to do my duty and cast my vote!

in watching the election results tonight and the following responses on social media, i was pretty sad to see the reactions of people i know. it must be hard to believe so much in a candidate and watch them lose, but again, i was disappointed to see so many people respond with negativity. i'm excited for the next four years and i'm happy for our president, but mostly i'm just grateful. other people around the world live under dictators, tyrants, and terrorists, while we have the right to vote! for our president! that is so amazing to me! i'm so grateful for the rights and freedoms i enjoy, and i feel so blessed to have been able to participate in this election. regardless of political views or preferred candidates, i hope we can all take a moment to consider how blessed we are in this beautiful country.

and if you want to join me in getting really sappy, watch this. i might have teared up. judge me.