What a MONTH.
Living in DC during a presidential election is an experience unlike anything else. Leading up to November 3rd, the city was tense: unrest accompanied political updates, city police built roadblocks along predicted protest routes, and friends made plans to leave the city if results turned violent.
And then Election Day passed. And the next day. And the next day.
And finally, the following Saturday brought news of Biden's win.
I spent the following Sunday morning walking around BLM Plaza on 16th St in front of the White House, reading the signs that have been taped up over the summer and the previous night and listening to people's conversations as they too read the signs and shared their joy with strangers. None of us know what the next four years will look like, but for a moment - the city let out a sigh of relief and allowed itself to dance.
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The rest of the month was full too. I finally found a new church - a one-year-old plant in Arlington full of friendly (masked) faces - and joined one of their community groups that meets over Zoom. I spent a morning with my brother in Richmond, sipping autumnal drinks on the couch of a firehouse-turned-coffeehouse. One of my best friends moved away from DC at the end of the month, and we met at Ted's for a final round of cinnamon rolls and breakfast burritos. My family and I embarked on a two-month-long distance running/walking challenge, pushing me outside every morning for crisp fresh air. I spent the weeks book-ending Thanksgiving at my parents' home in North Carolina, scheduling in coffees and walks with a few local friends.
November held a tremendous weight that had the potential to tip either way, but now - I'm cautiously optimistic about the future.
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