2nd Chance Wake-Up Call; November 5th, 2024.
We flunked.
We have chosen — to lower our standards.
We have chosen, to accommodate the standards
 of an egomaniac tyrant. Period. No sense disputing it.
 For 15 years, I have written — The Story of Our Times. 
The story, history provides. History, includes yesterday.
I, am but a scribe. It is history, that cautions us to never
ever, neglect our vigilantly wary responsibility but rather,
forever guard against the one thing -- Democracies can’t
afford to tolerate. The very thing, we stooped to tolerate.
***
This current, nightmare reality in Our Story, is now written. We now know how this
page ends.  Picking up the pieces and figuring out how we can move on, is the page
we're currently filling out for the next chapter.  Our future. Our kids future. For many,
it will be our sunset chapter. A' course, what's already chronicled will get thoroughly
reviewed as to how, we managed to give the reins of our Democracy, over to a tyrant. 
We will, forever be remembered, for what can't be erased. But what we can do, is to
learn from what is now, a history lesson. We can work to ensure this lesson isn't
wasted. We can view it as our next wake-up call. We can still, tug our Democracy
towards it's next logical, forward-ho step. To do so, we capitalize on the 1st aspect
to this lesson which is — way past due. It is, high time we paint in the mugshot of
who we are. The bulk sum of who —  American’s really are. The bulk sum in
every way. The bulk middle income, the bulk patriot, the bulk liberal and
conservative us-voter. The good and decent, tax-paying, law-abiding, 
contributions to society.
***
This election, wasn't the typical tug-n-pull of our ultra-exclusive, just-2 leads. This time, 
it was all about an altruistic lead vs a self-serving one. And for any country's great mass, 
an altruistic lead will always be the good option. So this election wasn't about they typical,
red vs blue outcome, but a real-live, good vs evil tug-n-pull. Evil won so nightmare is apt. 
As for who the red/blue vs the rest of us are, there’s approx. 25% die-hard republican's
& democrats respectively. Die-hard means straight ticket voters. It does not mean they
are ill-equipped to vote. Rather, they provide the opposing perspectives, which the bulk
mass then builds consensus from. So it is the bulky middle who overseas, who ensures,
 our ultra-exclusive, just-2 leads, do not leave us all with — just one step above no option.
Egomaniac tyrant, is precisely the eventual but guaranteed evil that any Democracy will
always face but especially when the great mass. allows such an exclusive stranglehold to
go on, and for so damn long. That hard truth reality for America, has now come to pass.
The overriding, 50% bulk sum of us — allowed our flanks to divide us. No sense blaming
our red camp brethren for where we’ve landed. That option, won't provide any forward-ho
move-on anyway. Also, the option to roll back into ourselves; the typical tune-out and off, 
knee-jerk aftermath response that happens every 4th November, is senseless as well cuz
that, is how we got into this eventual nightmare in the first place. These are the choices:
 we can't afford to entertain. 
***  
I need to tell you a bit about myself; what it’s like to be,  a forever hopeful optimist. 
First, it ain’t no bed of roses. Next, I am an everyday commoner, and I'm located smack
in the middle in every way. I am purple proud. I’m not alone. So if I just described you;
the one reading this, then we utilize our high-running passion of right now today; the
aftermath day of November 5th, 2024. Here's the choices we face. We can choose to
 wallow in being physically sickened. Which, I'm revamping this 3 days later and have
found that upon awakening --our what we've done nightmare — awaits to greet me.
~ Or ~ 
We can do what forever hopeful optimist’s —  can’t help but do. We naturally,
assess where we stand. We naturally — look for the light at the end of the tunnel. 
We then roll up our sleeves, & get to work. That’s it. That’s really — our only option.
Red, blue, purple, green doesn't matter. Forever hopeful optimists, are the ones who
will always chisel the way -- towards the light at the end of any dark tunnel.  A' course,
it’s typically never the easy road but, human life wasn’t cut out to be easy, and we accept
that. Plus, forever hopeful means we've learned that it's a whole lot easier to push forth,
simply by keeping our perspective centered on -- who we are. Sure, we take downward
dives now and again just like anyone but to be forever hopeful, just means we'll always
find our way back to our center, and we will do so — right up til the day we die.
Same goes for pessimists. The only difference is, we are the ones who get to
be grateful for — the hand we were dealt. As for me, whenever that hand
deals out what isn't — a bed of roses, the wisdom of Václav Havel,
generally reboots my outlook back to gratitude. 
Hope, isn’t a conviction that things turn out well. Hope, is a
conviction to do what’s right —  regardless of how things turn out. 
***
 We, must begin — what must begin.  We pick ourselves up from
the aftermath of this nightmare, and we resume chiseling out our
forward-ho, uplifting wave. That, is how the bulk sum of who we are,
can and therefore will, write the next chapter to — The Story of Our Times.
For nearly 15 years: www.dancepartners.org, has been & will remain, freely offered.
This is our baseplate start, and it's high time we start congregating.