What happens when you wake up in the middle of a nightmare, except the nightmare isn’t happening in your unconscious, but the real world you live in?

I woke up in the middle of the night to nurse Archer. I reached for my phone hesitantly. I didn’t want to see the results of the election. In the pit of my stomach, I already knew that we didn’t shatter the biggest, hardest, thickest glass ceiling. Instead, we smacked up against it and bounced right back down to the ground, bruised, in pain, and full of fury.

Yesterday I wrote about hope, despair, and the need for action to catalyze hope because hope alone isn’t enough. I taught about this in my yoga classes, too.

Hope and despair are at opposite ends of a pendulum and right now the pendulum has swung towards despair, but I am unwilling to allow it to remain there.

I’m tired of the familiar story of fear winning and love losing.

I’m angry at the unwillingness of those in power to take a step back and share the mantle of power instead of holding it hostage.

I woke up this morning at a loss for words, so I cried.

Then I rolled out my yoga mat and moved my body and cried some more.

In yoga we learn that choice and action are essential pieces of the puzzle when we want to create change.  Even “choosing to abstain” is a choice. Doing nothing is a choice. Curling into a fetal position and weeping at the choices of others is a choice. Taking a stand for what you believe in is a choice. Fighting back is a choice. Love ischoice.

A week ago I proudly brought both of my children with me to early voting to elect the first female president, a candidate I believed in irrespective of her sex.

Milly and I have talked a lot about voting in the past week, what it means and what an important responsibility it is. She must have understood the importance there because she has easily been able to repeat to me what “voting” is.

This morning I talked to Milly about voting again. She doesn’t really understand about Hillary or the big orange monster, although she does listen to “Fight Song” on repeat and calls it “our song.”

I asked Milly if she remembered what voting meant. She said, “you get to choose what you want.”

I said, “yes, but so do other people. And sometimes even though you choose one thing that you feel is important, other people choose something different. What’s important is to do your best to make choices that don’t hurt other people.”

That’s the best I’ve got today.

I’m still heartbroken and crying every 5 minutes.

Also, when I dropped her off at school, she was sad (as usual) and didn’t want me to leave, but as soon as she walked into the class, she was enveloped by 3 of the girls in her class. They hugged her and she hugged back.

Sisterhood in action.

I think about that and I am motivated to be an agent of change.

Now more than ever we need to act.

The election might be over, but there are smaller actions we can take every day.

Some of the biggest shifts we can make are with ourselves, within our every day lives, within our families, and our immediate community.

Here are a few ideas:

CONNECT

Get to know your neighbors, your co-workers, and the parents of your kids friends. The bigger we make our immediate community, the smaller the world gets and that’s a good thing.

Remember, we are stronger together.

SPEAK UP

When you witness injustice and when you hear intolerance, speak up and speak out. Trump’s supporters said he spoke what many of them were feeling and what no one else was willing to say, but he clearly didn’t speak for everyone.

Certainly not for me.

Make your voice heard in whatever way you can.

DON’T BE A SLACKTIVIST

Posting dissatisfaction on social media isn’t enough. You’ll be heard primarily, by a gallery of your peers, most of whom agree with you.

There are many ways to act that don’t involve physically protesting or chaining yourself to a tree.

You can donate to causes that you believe in. Here’s a handy lost of pro-women, pro-immigrant, pro-earth, anti-bigotry organizations that need your support.

You can make choices with your wallet, supporting conscientious products and companies.

I have a whole list of small things you can do to rebel against the establishment. Check out my “Radical Mama” blog post for ways you can make a difference using one of the tools this country values the most, capitalism.

And yes, you can still post on social media. In the days leading up to and immediately following the election, facebook became an extension of my community. I hoped with them, cried with them, and am now acting with them to move forward consciously and powerfully.

BE A ROLE MODEL

Model the values you believe in. If you’re a parent, teach your kids about respect, integrity, compassion, and shared power through your actions. Teach your kids about the importance and value of diversity, choice, and freedom. If we say one thing and do another, it’s not only confusing but it’s also not authentic.

Our kids are watching. Our kids are listening. What do we want to show them? What do we want them to hear? What do we want them to do when it’s their turn to take action? What do we want them to say when it’s their turn to speak? How do we want our children to lead?

BE A LEADER

Not all that different from being a role model, just on a slightly larger scale.

Remember that being a leader requires a willingness to share power, not control it.

DO YOGA

Yoga comes in many different shapes and forms, but most styles of yoga emphasize the need for balance, clarity, a willingness to reflect, a desire to do the work, and places a high value on the idea that we are stronger together.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

The only way we can heal the world is to heal ourselves first.

If you are running yourself into the ground without tending to your own needs, you will suffer and so will everyone you are taking care of. Your actions have a ripple effect, whether they are big or small.

When you begin to place a high value on your own self-care, people in your life will take notice and start treating themselves better as well. That quality of personal care will begin to ripple out and make a big impact in the way we show up in theworld. When you care about YOU, it demonstrates that you also care about the world you live in.

Yesterday was rough.

Today, get up, get motivated, make a choice, do the work, fight hard, love one another, and CREATE HOPE.

I am far from happy about the results of this election, on all levels of government. I am utterly terrified at what might happen to my country and the world in the next 4 years.
I also believe that sometimes in the deepest, darkest despair, we can still find a light to lead us out.
Be the light.

I promise to be a beacon if you will, too.