It’s HOT. 20 degrees, heavenly. And Joe Biden is President of the United States. 

I’m sitting on the little deck outside my office, basking in the sun and feeling four years worth of tension oozing out of my body. Of course it’s not over, he’s going to fight every step of the way, and his terrifying armed militia will fight with and for him. But the joy and relief today! Van Jones on CNN, beginning to talk about what this victory means to people of colour, to his own sons, was so overcome he could hardly speak; a tear trickled down his cheek. 

And then Rick Santorum said the Republican Party does not think the election is over, the final decision has not been made, there are still counts to come in and legal battles to be won. 

So hunker down, friends. And there’s the senate race in Georgia to fight.

Last night, as I scrolled through Twitter, I saw someone criticizing the Lincoln Project, the Never Trump Republican activist group who did such a relentless, fantastic job of critiquing the President. He said they had millions in donations and should give it all to BLM organizers who he was sure were struggling to pay rent. 

And I thought – the fight isn’t even over, and already the left is attacking itself! I do not envy Biden and Pelosi. But if anyone can handle this complex, fraught time, those two can. 

Last night Bill Maher had on the man who produced the film The Social Dilemma, about how we are all being colonized and exploited by social media, the algorithms that dictate what we see and what we know. I must watch it, though it’s aimed at younger people; I’m not on my phone enough to be colonized. Before that, I watched the start of Suzuki’s 60th season on The Nature of Things, about the climate rebellion, interviews with fierce young climate activists inspired by Greta Thunberg and not being exploited by any algorithm. It was beautiful television, inspiring and uplifting, just when we needed it most.

Today is a new day on our planet. And the heavens agree with us. 

PS What’s making ME weep is the outpouring from all over the world on FB and Twitter: Lynn and Denis in Provence lifting champagne glasses; the church bells in Paris ringing; even messages of support from former Republican presidents. Something evil has been vanquished. Not completely; hard as it is to comprehend, nearly 70 million people voted for him! They have to be placated, somehow. But for today, we’ll take it.