Kindness is what matters.

Today I am so sad. I'm not sad that my candidate lost; my candidate lost in the primaries. My candidate has lost before. I don't live in a bubble where nothing bad has ever happened to me. 
I am not angry. I am not mad at people who voted for Trump. I don't judge anyone and I don't feel any control over your opinions or feelings anymore than I want you to have judgement over mine.
My feelings are not based out of some deep love for HRC (which may, in face be part of the problem.)
My overwhelming feelings of sorrow come down to these few things:

1. The Affordable Care Act directly impacts my job and my patients, and the health of premature babies. The ACA stated that ALL mothers with babies that were, for whatever reason, unable to feed at the breast, would be eligible for a pump. The societal cost savings of human milk consumption are well known and documented; I won't get into them here. In addition, the ACA mandates coverage of outpatient lactation support by a licensed professional (i.e. myself) so all the energy I have spent into building and dreaming a breastfeeding clinic may be for naught. Who wins here? Business. Who loses? Everyone else. The health of our most fragile citizens is for everyone. Public health systems impact us all. The healthier of a society we are, the better of we are as a whole.

1. One out of every four women in America is a survivor of sexual assault. I see the impacts of it every day. Having a president who flaunts his sexual misconducts is a slap in the face to all the survivors out there, past and future.

1. Jon and I got married on June 27. On June 26, the day before, the Supreme Court ruled that marriage is legal for all citizens, regardless of sexual orientation or identity. I felt a surge of pride on our wedding day so big that we wrote it into our ceremony. It breaks my heart to think that families I know and love will be torn apart after fighting so long. If you don't think that will happen, I really urge you to reread some of the President-Elect and Vice President-Elect's policies and ideas and then tell me if you agree. If you love a gay or lesbian or trans, know their hearts are breaking today. And that they are scared.

There is lots more, but these are only my issues and my feelings. We all have our core values and these are mine.
Ever since my girls were little I have instilled in them over and over again that Kindness is our family value. That above all else, treating others with kindness is the most important thing. I will still lead a life of service. I will still raise daughters for whom giving back is a priority. I will still treat every family that walks in the door of my hospital with love and respect. I will still love everyone I loved yesterday. I will still not care who you voted for, and I still won't ask because that is your private decision. 
But today, and maybe tomorrow I will be present in my feelings. They are mine and I own them. You don't have to agree. That's okay. I don't need you to. But offer me the same kindness I send to you. 

xx, Randie