My daughter in Ohio is having a hard time with the results of this election

[legallyblondeNYC]

70. See moments of joy and gratitude.

We all live moment-to-moment. That is all any of us can do.

So for each moment, suggest that she observe moments of joy and moments of gratitude. Nothing big. A beautiful tree. A person walking a dog. A beautiful piece of fruit. A pie. A perfect cup of coffee. A favorite Netflix show. A book. A sketch. A piece of jewelry given by a parent, grandparent or partner. A comfortable bed. A nap. A favorite song. I delicious slice of pizza. A dear friend. Old photographs. New photographs of a favorite bridge, river, ocean, or sunset. A walk in a park. A bubble bath. A favorite soap or nail polish. Bouncing a ball. The memory of a childhood friend. A memory of an awful childhood haircut. A recipe that she likes to prepare. A deep breath. A warm (politics free!) "thank you" to someone who bags your groceries, drives your Uber, or delivers your packages. Memories of.parent or grandparent's best recipe. Or worst recipe. Or an old boyfriend from years and years ago. The roof over our head. The food in the refrigerator. The ability to read.

All of these items. Moment to moment. Reasons for joy.

Not to deny the pain. Not at all. To say to the pain, "I see you," but with an understanding that life changes. Yet even now, we have a lot of things to be joyful about. And that gratitude is strength. It is not polyanish. It gives us the power to chose how to respond or not respond and to continue to thrive and find joy and strength.

My best to her. May she find ease.