PUTNEY-We all cannot believe our eyes, some with dismay and others with deep gratitude: The president has been elected with a mandate from the people.
It is a blessing that the election is decided, and not challengeable. This spares us the haranguing of outcomes, the twisting of narratives, and the stress of the unknown. As my father would say, decisions are beauty, and Americans have delivered their opinion.
I live in the bluest county of the Nation, perhaps the bluest town in the nation, and I want to soothe you: All will be well. Relax for a few beats, and you will find that all is not as described.
Trump loves people of all colors, and they love him. He is a character, but he loves people and loves deeply. Those who meet him feel it and respond to that love.
His personality is not so narcissistic or harsh as it is portrayed. He does speak repetitively and colorfully; however, his heart is full of respect and love for the American people and people of all kinds. Not one amongst us is perfect in every utterance; when subjected to edits out of context, the best of us can be misconstrued and sorely maligned.
The Amish, the Hispanic, the Black, and the Islamic Americans responded to this profound care and love, and, as he said in his acceptance speech, "Now we begin to heal."
I ask all my co-Vermonters who saw in Trump a Hitler or a despot to sit back, breathe, and watch: See that he is different than described.
He does have a huge heart, and part of that heart is protective. We need safety from cartels and from fentanyl, and nameless children from other lands need not to be trafficked in the hundreds of thousands through an unprotected border.
I very much like Trump's peace through strength. I know he is not a bloodthirsty tyrant out to create war to build up his own weapons investments. I see his capacity to bring peace despite the banking elite that grows with war.
I like that he has Robert F. Kennedy Jr. working to bring forward a network of food that is not poisoned by so many abuses of nature; I will be working in that effort as well.
Many of the other experts - Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tulsi Gabbard - bring great progress to our country. Vance is comfortable in his own skin, is truly bright, and is truly invested in a country that serves the multicultural, multi-colorful people.
I believe that if you can relax, you will find that no one will tolerate you less, that you will be supported more, that you will be more prosperous, healthier, and safer, and that you will have more personal agency to help this country live in harmony with each other, with other countries, and - in my mind, most importantly - with nature.
In any case, you will be freer to speak out and be critical, and your body will be more your own.
Temper your disappointment with guarded hope, please - all will indeed be well.
Emily Peyton
Putney
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