Roll Up Your Sleeves

So, we voted for change. That means us, too. And it starts today. Now.

It's OK to start small. Buy your McCain-supporting friends or relatives (most especially in-laws) a drink, a coffee, some chocolate. Take it to them and sit with them. Start talking about the weather, the crops, whether it's time for Regis Philbin to retire. Stop talking and listen. Silence is OK--but sit there awhile. And don't forget to listen. What do they need? How can you help?

Think about what and how YOU will change in YOUR life to meet the challenges ahead. Maybe you can share those activities with those who are nervous and hurting today. Go in on a side of local beef together; share freezer space. Go to the local Farmer's Market. Sign up for a course in conversational Spanish or go for a walk. Join a group putting together holiday packages for the overseas troops. Do things to help the world, and do them with someone who disagreed with you yesterday.

You don't have to make these changes all at once--in fact, you can't. These changes are not the kind you can do in one grand gesture. These changes will be a daily thing, a discipline. We have to build bridges, but they're built one brick at a time. We have to listen to each other, talk to each other, and work together.

I wish I didn't need to say this, but I fear I must: don't gloat. Gloating is not only bad form; it's bad for you. It's immature and irresponsible. No one of us is any "better" than any other. If you truly believe that you "won" last night, remember what one of my swim coaches used to say: "When one of us wins, we all win." And it's your responsibility to make that true. So reach out.

I know that saying all this makes me too serious and un-fun. I've been called that before, and I'm OK with it.

But you're saying you want to savor the moment, to celebrate. Fine. You can wait till tomorrow to get to work, but no longer. And it would be better to start today.

As my favorite President, West Wing's Josiah Bartlet, used to say, "What's next?" Break's over. It's time to move on. The world is different today and we can harness its new energy. Yes we can.