We’re free. 

That’s all I could think when I read the news. 

Joe Biden won the election. He actually did it. I was fearful on election night that it wouldn’t happen. But it did.  

Donald Trump lost.  

A big smile appeared on my face. I looked up over the horizon of the ocean. The sun seemed to shine brighter. Something about the air felt cleaner.  

America had a fresh start. 

I could feel the tension in my body release – tension that had been there for four years. But for much of those four years, I didn’t even realize the tension was there. 

I’ve never really been someone who was interested in politics. I always thought the government was too corrupt and too untrustworthy to give a damn. I didn’t think any president voted into the office could have any positive impact on the many issues with our country. 

But this year was different.  

I never thought about the significant negative impact a president could have on the many issues with our country. 

This was the year of saving human rights. This was the year of saving our environment. This was the year of saving lives from a deadly pandemic. 

This was more than politics. 

As I watched Kamala Harris take the stage to give her victory speech, I couldn’t help but feel my eyes water with tears of happiness. What a moment in American history.  

I never thought I’d have tears in my eyes over something political, but that goes to show the weight building up on my shoulders with each moment of anger derived from Trump slowly picking away at everything America has been built on over the past century. All the progress we were making was slowly disappearing. 2020 had been the epitome of that downfall.  

This is the happy ending we needed.  

The sigh of relief I felt on Nov. 7 was bigger than any sigh of relief I’d ever had in my life. I was once again proud to be an American.  

 I had made it a tradition to dress up in red, white and blue for Fourth of July each year. The past few years I didn’t feel the same about it. I stopped using my American-flag-designed bandana as a mask or a headband because I felt shameful being seen with it in public. 

I couldn’t feel proud of what our flag represents with Donald Trump as president. I don’t like to consider myself as a republican or a democrat, but I certainly did not support him. I think of the person over the party, and his persona was not one I’d like to have as the representation of our country.  

I know a lot of Trump’s supporters point to his economic successes as an important reason to keep him in office. But when did money become more important than humans? Regardless of what he did while in office, his public behavior served as an example for how other Americans can behave. 

Finally, that example of immoral behavior is gone. 

Now is the time to come together as a country. We will not be able to progress any further being divided as we are today. Just like Biden said in his victory speech. 

“It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again, and to make progress.” 

I may have zero faith in our government, but when the will of the people was tested, the people prevailed. This election restored my faith in our democracy.  

For the first time in a long time, I turned on the TV and didn’t see protest. I looked on my social medias and didn’t see hate. 

I saw love. This is the America we deserve.