With the coming of November, we turn the calendar page to a month that culminates with our national day of Thanksgiving. I encourage you to make this a time of gratitude. 

It’s a good tonic for whatever ails you, especially as our participatory democratic republic hits its every-four-years fever pitch of discordant cacophony. 

There are so many people and forces out there trying to get you dissatisfied. During election season, some candidates and political committees have all sorts of reasons why you should base your vote on hating the other guy or gal. 

And commercials are always telling you that you’ll be happier if you just buy something new. 

Fight the push for disgust and dissatisfaction. Instead, give yourself the gift of gratitude and you’ll find true contentment waiting. 

When things are good, thankfulness is appropriate. When things are bad, it might be even more crucial.

From big blessings (a warm house and food to eat) to small (that guy let me merge even though I forgot my blinker), every point of gratitude is going to help your attitude. 

This is the right month for it. Enjoy! 

We can all win

A typically contentious election is upon us. It seems that every year’s vote sweeps us more and more into warring camps and tribes. The other candidate isn’t just wrong, he or she will destroy America! It’s the most important election of our lifetime! We won’t have a country in four years if you vote the wrong way! If you vote for that evil candidate you are a terrible person!

Yes, voting is important, but don’t be swayed by all the revved-up commentary.

One of the many good reasons to study history is to recognize how the modern moment fits into the bigger picture. It’s a defense against deception.

This election matters, yes, but does it matter as much as the presidential election of 1800 (with a true constitutional crisis), the four candidates who splintered the vote in 1860 (which led to the Civil War) or 1932 (when our nation was starving and literally blowing away in dust storms)? I think only partisans trying to win your vote would say so.  

And remember the deadlocked presidential election of 2000, when two candidates and our nation somehow survived a vote count that was much, much tighter than what we saw in 2020. The candidate who came up short amid a flurry of “hanging chads” and a partisan split on the Supreme Court took the high road for the sake of our union. That was only 24 years ago. We can still summon the better angels of our nature, as Lincoln said.

How do we do that?

Remember that our nation, born in bold unity 248 years ago, has survived much worse than what we face right now. The way we endure and thrive is to rededicate ourselves to the proposition that, win or lose, we’re all in this together and we’re all on the same team. Expect that attitude of others and practice it yourself. If we trust and support our fellow Americans, giving grace and doing our best, we’ll be OK. 

If candidates or their campaigns make good points, listen to them with a discerning mind. But if they’re trying to get you into a panic with hyperbole, be a grown-up and turn off their noise. They simply want to win this next election, whatever the collateral damage to our nation. But all of us are in this for the long haul. And we have to do it together. 

Here’s a fact: No candidate for president, or Congress, or governor, or the Legislature, is going to fix everything that’s wrong or destroy everything that’s good. 

But our reaction just might. 

America will and must endure past the election and inauguration. That depends on us continuing to respect and work with those around us, whatever political stripes we might wear and whoever we might vote for. A person isn’t a MAGAt for voting for Trump, or a Demon-crat for voting for Harris, or a coward for declining to vote for either, and I urge you to pull back a little from anyone or any media source so amped up that they’re saying so. 

Don’t let scorched earth electoral politics ruin friendships or family relationships. 

Just don’t. 

If you do, no matter who wins the election, we all lose.

Speaking of which...

Cheers to the good folks at the Lebam Community Church, who printed this on their readerboard: “Forget the donkey and the elephant. Look to the Lamb.”

Whatever your faith or politics, that’s a message of wisdom this election season.

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Brian Mittge can be reached at brianmittge@hotmail.com.