What I Didn’t Expect to Feel After the Election

Thoughts on what we can still control

In the weeks since the election, my body’s been careening through emotions. Anger, mostly, the day after—though more accurate to call it rage. Disappointment, grief, fear. Goodness, have I cried.

The most prevalent, and perhaps the most surprising, of all the emotions, though, has been gratitude.

How to explain? Over the past couple of months, grief has walloped me. Several loved ones have been struck by heartbreaking medical news. I found out that a book proposal I’ve poured hours of work into since April may die on the vine because a bestselling nature writer just published a nearly identical book. To top it all off, my beloved cat—the rhythm to my days, my consistent shadow, my sweetheart loaf—has terminal cancer, and it has knocked me sideways to imagine my house without him looking adorable inside it.