"America is smiling again!"

That weight is finally lifting... Do you feel it too?

Hello, Friend!

If you’re a new subscriber, welcome. If you’ve been around a while, thank you. Maybe you’ve just stumbled onto my Substack, and you’re trying to decide if you want to subscribe or not. Believe me, I get it. There are only so many newsletters a person can sign up for, much less, feasibly read.

No matter how you landed here, I’m grateful you did.

I had a different article planned for today. But sometimes, plans are meant to be changed, right?

I wasn’t going to chime in on Biden stepping aside and Harris stepping up. It seems like everybody is talking about it and writing about it, so what could I possibly add?

Turns out, plenty!

Who knew?

Be sure to share YOUR thoughts on the recent turn of events in the comments, no matter how you feel. I really do value your input — even if it’s different from mine.

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“America is smiling again!” — MN Governor, Tim Walz

In the world of politics, it's been a wild few weeks, right?

Biden’s June 27th debate performance was worse than dismal. (Was that really just a little over a month ago?) Democrats, including me, started panicking. There seemed to be three camps. The “we’ll back Biden no matter what — until if and when he decides to back out” camp. The “Biden’s gotta go camp,” and the “I don’t know what we should do now,” hand-wringing camp.

Shortly after, there was the assassination attempt of Donald Trump. So many questions remain about how that could’ve happened. So unacceptable. And just plain scary. We definitely need answers — not to mention better protection for all candidates and their families.

Then, the GOP convention was held. Everyone waited to see if Trump had changed post-assassination attempt. (Will we never learn?) And that speech. My God. Why didn’t more people freak out about that? And don’t get me started on the VP pick. Childless cat ladies quickly pounced (pun intended) on his nonsensical, offensive remarks. As did cat ladies with children and/or dogs!

Cat Ladies (childless and otherwise) unite!

After contracting COVID and isolating, being shown doom and gloom poll numbers, and reflecting about his role (and legacy) in this mess, Biden decided to drop out of the presidential race. Shortly thereafter, he endorsed his VP, Kamala Harris. (Seems like ages ago now, right?)

And then, it happened.

America started smiling again.

Or, at least half (maybe more) of the country did.

I saw and heard the “smiling statement” from Minnesota’s Governor, Tim Walz, the other day on social media, and I thought, yes. That’s it! (Do you think Walz has a chance at becoming Harris’ VP pick?)

Relief and smiles. Yep. That weight is finally lifting.

I decided to chime in on all this after reading a piece by my friend Alene at Couch to Artist. (You should check out Alene’s writing AND her wonderful art.)

In her piece, “An Unfamiliar Lightness,” Alene wrote this:

Can you feel it? The sudden lifting of a weight hanging on all of our shoulders? In the past 48 hours, I feel this unburdening of something that has been sitting there. I can pinpoint the beginning of it, for me. It was election night in 2016.

Alene really zeroed in on something. Election night 2016 was when the heaviness started setting in for me, too. Like many of us, after that night, I became almost fixated on the news. Every day, there was another outrageous tweet or story reported. With each one, I wondered if that one would finally be the one to open the eyes of those who couldn't or wouldn’t see.

But, no.

With each new reported-on lie or outrageous act or statement from 45, that weight just got heavier. Too many continued to turn a blind eye.

2020 arrived and along with it came COVID, isolation, death for a million Americans, and even more division.

No wonder things felt even heavier.

November 2020 brought us a new president-elect, along with some relief and renewed hope. But then, January 6th happened. I watched it happen on live TV, as many of us did.

We started asking, is this really happening here in America?

January 6th had to be the final thing — the turning point at last, did it not?

(And for a few days, it seemed to be.)

But no, the weight continued to get heavier.

The January 6th Committee worked hard to expose the truth.

And yet…

Then came all the trials, hearings, or as Alene put it, “one shitshow after another”.

On top of all that (and more), throw in the overturning of Roe and other distressing Supreme Court and other judicial decisions.

Yeah — that weight has been getting heavier than perhaps any of us even realized.

And then, one Sunday afternoon in July, President Biden made an announcement and gave an endorsement. Ironically, I first heard this news as I was scrolling here on Substack and noticed a note about it from Ramona Grigg.

Kamala Harris made a couple speeches. Speeches that sounded hopeful, uplifting, and dare I say it, joyful. Democrats, and quite a few others, quickly got on board. Democrats did what many, maybe even most, thought impossible — they united.

But optimism, joy, and working for a common goal are contagious, so maybe it’s not such a surprise after all.

I do know this, that weight began to lift. I mean, really lift. Maybe not all of it and maybe not for good. We know better.

But the load so many of us have been carrying around since that November night in 2016 began to feel a whole lot lighter.

And America started smiling again.

Hopefully, we can keep those smiles coming well past election day.

Thank you, Alene and Governor Walz, for inspiring this post. And, of course, thank you, President Biden and VP Kamala Harris, for inspiring it as well.

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A few other articles that resonated with me this week are listed below. If you have a favorite you’ve written or read that you’d like us to see, let me know and I’ll add it. Or add it in the comments.

Electrifying by Beth Gainer.

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones by Stephanie Raffelock

The Vibes Have Changed by Jess Piper

Kamala Harris and the Return of Joy by

John Pavlovitz

Writing with Passion About Our Passions by Ramona Grigg

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Do you feel like a weight is lifting?

Are you feeling hopeful again, and are you smiling more?

Do you hesitate to write or talk about politics, or are you all in?

I like to imagine that Lady Liberty is smiling a wee bit more these days, too.

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Thank you for reading my article. If you liked it, I’d love it if you shared it.

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Thank you for being here with me. I appreciate YOU.

Don’t forget to visit my website. There’s an announcement about my first book, Getting Past the Fear: A Guide to Help You Mentally Prepare for Chemotherapy.

As always, I see you. I hear you, and I care about what YOU have to say.

Until next time…

Take care of yourself, and be kind to someone.

Warmly, and with gratitude,

Nancy