Who knew it would turn out this way. Even the Donald himself was blown away when it became apparent that he was about to become the 45th President of the United States of America. All the polls pointed to Hillary winning this election.

The question no longer is, ‘who will be our next President?’ but ‘who am I and what kind of person am I going to be over the next four years now that our next President has been elected?’

I do not know the answer. I wanted Hillary to win. She did win the popular vote and that gives me some solace. While flawed, I thought she was better suited for the job and she was more kind than her opponent. That’s my opinion. It is the opinion of many of my friends as well, but not all, which makes me confused again. I have several close women friends who voted for Trump because they truly believe he will make this world better. I feel like I am in the twilight zone.

I had written in a previous post during the campaigns that we needed to send both candidates love. While it may be difficult to feel love at this time, we can try. If love is too tall an order right about now, what about boosting our kindness factor? There are all kinds of people living in the United States and the world – my kind, your kind, mankind, womankind, all kind and some kind of crazy. I still believe in kindness in all kinds of people. I want to go with it..see if it flows.. check it out..try it on for size. Damn it feels so much better than hate and disgust and rage.

Is politics by its very nature unkind? Is our President-elect asking himself, ‘who am I and what kind of person am I going to be now that I have been elected?’ I don’t know. Let us hope he is going to be kind to all kinds.

My own personal feeling of unknowing, instability and division does not mean I have to stop being kind or believing in kindness. There has been an increase in hate speech on social media and hate crimes around the country as a result of this result. That’s deeply saddening. People I love are truly scared for their future because they are the kind that are being targeted. What can I do for them and for us to make us feel united and safe again?

Could the answer be kindness? Could a movement of collective kindness proliferate our country tenfold during this time and unite us again?

I for one choose to be kind to my kind, your kind, mankind, womankind and all kinds in between.

Let us choose to be that kind of kind.

#BeKindToOneAnother

TIPS AND TRICKS TO BOOST YOUR KINDNESS FACTOR

• Meditate and work on your breath so you feel calmer, more centered and more open to kindness. Proper self care is key during these trying times. Click here for a post on breath.
• Calmly talk to your friends and family who do not believe what you believe and do not resort to fighting. Agree to disagree but do so with kindness. We can do this!
• Give to charities that support kindness. We alone can’t do it all but there are many established movements and charities that can further our voices of kindness.
• Get more involved in politics and get out and vote in every future election and elect the kind of people you think will be effective and kind.
• Read more and not just the conservative or liberal papers. Read a little of both so you have multiple perspectives. This way when you calmly talk to friends and family, you can feel more kindness and less division.
• Run or exercise more. With all this stress, it’s more important than ever to stay on track with the November Move Your Butt Challenge. While not exactly a tip to be kind, exercise will help you to not lose your mind. If you do not already have a corporate wellness initiative, talk to HR about implementing one.
• Stay positive and surround yourself with positive people who share your moral value of kindness.
• Give gratitude for the positives in your life. Giving gratitude is immensely powerful and healing. I wrote this initial post late last night when I was all riled up (you are reading a revised, calmer version). It was not easy to find gratitude before going to sleep but I managed. It gets easier when you let yourself go, lose the control and know that we are and always will be taken care of. Have faith, stay true and be kind.

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