No More Tuesdays

This election is over. Mike Doyle's Wife is off duty.

MFD lost. Hope for the best but expect the worst so when I tell you we are okay I mean we truly are okay. I'm not saying that to make it appear that way. We were fully prepared to lose because that is the case with many first time candidates running against an incumbent.

I told you along the way when I was not okay so trust when I say today the overwhelming feeling is relief. I bounced across Market Street towards my office this morning on less than 8 hours of sleep in the past two days smiling at nothing. I feel free. Campaign pace is terrible on the body, mind, spirit, marriage, finances, and life.

Another overwhelming feeling is gratitude - for everyone who donated money, gave time, shared advice, donated something in kind, made phone calls, mailed postcards, knocked on doors, listened to me, listened to him, showed up at an event, shared his page or posts, read any on the campaign trail related posts, made food for campaign events, let our dogs out, bought us a meal, cooked us a meal, understood when we missed an event or were there but not present, helped me with things around the house/in life that I was managing solo for nine months, ran errands, or just fucking showed up for us in any way at any time. We got support from all over and have a few new friends for life. Thanks to everyone for accepting us as we are - real people. We're not trussed up and rolled out as perfect, polished, plastic people for consumption and we never will be because it's not who we are. Fuck that.

A blanket apology if I missed your birthday, didn't respond to a text or email, or have not been present at any point in the past few months. I've tried but not always succeeded in keeping my head out of my ass.

You run the first time so you can see how many different ways you're going to get fucked by the powers that be around you and how much money they are willing to spend to keep someone who wants to change the system out. Hint: one million different ways you'll be fucked, and money spent A LOT. I need like 400 days in a very scalding shower with lye soap to scrub the dirty backhanded bullshit politics off of me.

We're not going anywhere, of course. Do you know us?

We're still out here, speaking truth to power; encouraging involvement in democracy; saying fuck fascism; calling for criminal justice reform; calling for the 1% to pay their fair share and stop breaking the backs of the middle class and working poor; smashing the patriarchy; working to root out racism in ourselves and our communities and all of our systems; standing with our LGBTQ+ people; appreciating our religious diversity; rejecting hatred and fear of anyone that is "other"; rejecting the demonization of brown immigrants; crushing right to work; demanding healthcare for all including vastly expanded mental health care, immediate and compassionate addressing of the opioid epidemic, fair funding for public schools, a living wage, policies that are pro-working family, common sense gun laws, equality and equity for women, environmental protection and a focus on alternative energy; and a host of other shit that is good for ALL of us but that my brain is too mashed potato-ish to articulate today.

If you're going to put everything on the line knowing you will likely lose, "everything" better damn sure be worth it. It is. All of those things above and more are worth it to both of us.

We are the same people we were on Election Day and the days before that, standing for what we think is right. I need you to keep standing too. There were tremendous wins and tremendous losses yesterday, but if you believe in the things I believe in, we do not stop working because we didn't win it all. We keep going. We keep doing the work. The culture of hate and fear and violence didn't happen overnight and shifting it won't either. We do not have the luxury of fading away into ourselves again. Get over it and get to work.

Don't worry, in the coming weeks I will have ways for you to help change how politics does not work for most of us right now, and how you can help organizations who are trying to change that and how you can best help candidates entering the fray for the first time.

But first for me, four days at the shore starting tomorrow. I want to tune it out and restore some balance. My other plans include drinking the appropriate amount of water, actually sleeping, eating vegetables, quieting my mind, having time off, etc. And then maybe this six months, in silence?

Just kidding, I have to be around next weekend because we adopted another dog and he arrives Sunday 11/18 from Georgia. He was originally supposed to come up 10/21.

Yes, I did that in the most intense months of the campaign and yes, it's fucking crazy. Be honest, you kind of like it.