We All Win!

I've never been on the win win win side in my life, and when I first woke up, I thought, I live in a world that has the leadership of good men and women. Not perfect, but good, with the chance to do good, so much good, and I am so grateful.

And while I know, fresh from this election, that those who voted for people they believed in, people who didn't win, are bearing disappointment, I will tell you, the next thought I had after I woke up was, they don't know it yet, but they have won as well. They will benefit from the wins I cherish, even while looking at it from another perspective. I hope we can, as time goes on, work, play, laugh, love, cry and build together. I hoped that when I was the one whose candidate didn't give a victory speech and I hope it now. United we stand!

Yesterday, I was walking home from voting and this scene caught my eyes, as it often does. I stopped to take a photo and then heard a man's voice, he was sitting under a palm tree in a chair, just enjoying the day by the water. We agreed how beautiful it was, and I went on my way. We didn't care which party the other was in, we cared about why we live here, for those beautiful views.

Some friends joined together to wait out the long night, and when it was clear that Ivan had won, we went down to his headquarters, where the street was blocked with vehicles and celebrating people. It was joyous, beyond words, hopes fulfilled to begin some very hard work, but it was time to play.

I love that Sylvia's mom was holding the Culebra flag, because that! is what this win is all about.

They may not celebrate with bulldozers and dump trucks where you live, but they do here!

I'm putting here what I wrote on facebook last night, after finally getting home, happy, tired, excited, relieved with the feeling that, perhaps, a triathlete feels when they cross the finish line and find out they've won, that all the effort, all the work, all the passion...was done and won, and then, realize that everyone crossed the finish line at the same time, the ones tireless, the ones who didn't prepare as well, everyone, everyone won.

Gotta say this about that. Ivan won tonight, a fact I am still so happily shocked about, I can't quite take it in. At his headquarters, I saw people I was sure were for Ricky, smiling laughing happy. And then we went to town (it's so hard to describe this for people who don't know it...the streets were shut down, slowly moving with no complaints, that is how it is, people driving honking cheering in the streets) and I ran into a local man I've known almost since I  (first) lived here, who was a Ricky supporter. 

We hugged and he asked how I was and I said, so happy and I know you are not feeling this way. He said, "Where are you? Where do you live?" I said, Culebra. And he said, that is what this is about, we live on Culebra and that is what we care about." And THAT!!! is what happened tonight. 

We came across friends who said, thank you! you Americans helped make this happen. And I could only quickly try to say, thank YOU. But what I wanted to say was...you, the Culebrense who welcomed me with oh so opened hearts and minds when I first came here ten years ago, you who didn't care that I spoke only a tiny bit of Spanish, YOU are why I voted the way I voted. YOU are what and who made me love Culebra. YOU are why I speak out, sometimes to the point of being annoying, because YOU are who taught me, even more, why I fell in love with this place, with you. And I thank YOU, who elected Ivan, to keep this island pure and true and the joy it is to so many who live here and so many who visit. I thank you. I thank Ivan. And I'm still in shock that something so good has happened. Buenos noches, mi amigos y amigas. Gracia, for so much.

We'll recover today and then, to the work! In Culebra, in America, there is much to be done. Get some rest and put on your grubby clothes, people, we've got some hills to climb.

A dot on the world map, our home.

Have a know you're a winner Wednesday! Do something welcoming.