Now that this election is over, let’s move on

By the time this is published, hopefully, we will know who has won the 2018 election. And boy am I so ready for this mess to be over. We have been constantly bombarded with ads on TV, Facebook, Youtube and just about every page of every website and it’s time for a nice break from the cycle of elections for at least a couple more years.

It’s time for a return to normal, to switch out of election mode and back into a mode of business as usual. But we should also be reminded that business doesn’t look the same anymore. There will inevitably will people around you who’s party or candidate didn’t win. You may actually be the person who had every person who you voted for lose this election. I know, it feels awful, but remember that this isn’t the end of the world. Also remember that this might not be the beginning of a new world either.

There will still be a lot of things to get done before this city, state, country and world is a better place after this and every other election. People hurt from the outcome will need comforted. People with a great amount of stress from the election and its results will need to have some relief. Relationships will need to be mended. Children will need to be educated about what has occured.

We as a society need to come together and find commonality more than perhaps anytime in our nation’s history. I believe there are a few things that will help alleviate the mess we’ve just endured and help get us on the right track of coming together. By finding commonality in fighting for or against these things, we will come together stronger than ever.

First, let’s all agree that Bill Murray is one of the greatest American comedic actors of all time. What better way to relieve stress after this election than by sitting down with your politically diverse group of friends and watching a Bill Murray movie marathon? You could start out somewhere early in his career with a film like the very underrated “Meatballs,” or “Caddyshack,” work your way through the “Ghostbusters,” “What About Bob” and “Groundhog Day” and finish it off with any number of Murray’s forays into Wes Anderson films. I personally would recommend a dive into “The Royal Tenenbaums” or “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” but the choice, much like in this election, is really yours.

Second, let’s agree that pizza is the greatest unifying food there is. Pizza is good for a number of reasons and one of the best is that it can include any number of toppings. If you have a friend who’s vegetarian, voila, you have veggie pizza. Know someone who will never touch a vegetable? Boom, meat lovers. Is there that special someone in your life who, for some crazy reason, likes putting a fruit that gives your mouth sores on top of their slice? It’s gross, but to each their own, slap that pineapple on there. While sitting there, enjoying your Bill Murray movie marathon with your liberal, conservative and anarchist friends, order up some pies and dig in.

Third, we can all agree that Thanksgiving comes before Christmas and after Halloween. This decorating for the holiday season nearly two months before the actual holiday is getting to be a bit ridiculous. Next year, I feel like decorating is going to begin and Christmas music is going to start playing after the 4th of July.

Finally, and perhaps more seriously, I think we can all agree that this and every other election has gone on far too long. I think it’s time we take a page from many nations around the world and force our elections to be shorter. In Canada for instance, the longest campaign lasted just 72 days. Australian press was concerned that the nations prime minister might have a difficult time winning 2016 election because the campaign would last longer than any election since the 1960s, 56 days. While yes, these examples are of elections triggered by the dissolution of parliamentary bodies, I strongly believe that every American would get behind legislation that would cause elections of less than 90 days.