A story of Hope On This Election Day

Two weeks ago I went on a walk around a lake in my new town in Colorado. I didn't know it at the time, but it was the day the East Troublesome fire exploded, burning 100,000 acres in a single day.

Smoke poured out from the mountains, cutting a distinct line across the sky from east to west directly above me. To the south, it was clear blue sunny skies. To the north, a thick layer of pinkish golden smoke hung over everything.

On my walk that day, the earth was parched. Deep cracks ran through the soil. Clouds of dust rose with every step I took, covering my shoes and calves with a thin layer of dirt. The creek bed on the far side of the lake was completely dry - not a drop of water ran through it.

I was overwhelmed - and compared with many, many others, I was hardly impacted. The fires were completely out of control. It was unsettling and scary to think about what might explode next - literally. The land burned, thousands were evacuated, many lost homes. Thousands of firefighters worked around the clock, but in many areas the fires were simply stronger than they were.

And then we got a snowstorm.

It snowed ALL DAY Sunday a week ago. We got about 8 inches where I lived. The areas on fire got more. I went for a walk, laid down in the snow, and made a snow angel.

On Thursday I went for a walk around the same lake. The change was remarkable, unbelievable, unrivaled -- dare I say, UNPRECEDENTED?!?

The skies were a robin's egg blue. The foothills spanned from north to south and I could see them all (seriously, until that moment I had no idea just how much and how far I could see). Snow-capped mountains stood tall in front of me, emanating strength.

The trail was downright muddy. The cracks in the Earth had entirely disappeared. The previously dry creek bed rushed with water.

It gave me hope for so many things beyond quieting the fires.

Sometimes change happens slowly, at an almost imperceptible (and often very frustrating) rate. If you're in this place, keep going.

Just because something doesn't happen fast doesn't mean it's not happening.

And sometimes things seem to change before our very eyes. You feel uncertain and full of despair - and suddenly a light appears. A job opportunity arises. A person shows up in your life that changes everything. You rediscover a strength and light inside of you that you didn't realize was so strong - and it carries you forward.

It's election day today. I'm feeling a weird elixir of fear, anxiety, and hope.

I feel them all - and I choose hope.

I have to choose hope. I just have to. I have to believe that love and empathy will help us find our way towards healing in our country.

I have to believe, because the alternative simply isn't an option.

So, please, give yourself a moment to feel today. Feel whatever it is you're feeling. Name it. Cry it out. Dance it out. Go for a run. Whatever you need to do to FEEL and RELEASE.

And then make a choice.

Choose courage over fear. Empathy over division. Hope over despair. Love over everything.

Because love will always be bigger than anything else. Always.