I would like to thank David Chapelle for being the first person since election night to give me a fresh perspective.

In his well-mannered, yet pointedly humorous SNL monologue last evening, he inspired me to get over myself. My candidate lost. Our new President is just another in a long line of privileged white men with gobs of money who objectify women and make fun of…well, everyone who isn’t a white privileged male. It happened. The Trumps are moving to Washington (even if only for a few days a week). And I need to get over it.

Here’s why:

Everything hangs in the balance. I can’t very well fight the good fight if I’m sitting around sulking. There is work to be done, my friends. And that work requires strength, optimism and an unwavering sense of duty. The fight I speak of is not about our newly elected President. No. It is about values and humanity and decency.

But before I fight. I must pause. As David Chapelle helped me see last night, I have to give Mr. Trump a chance.

I need to hold on to hope that maybe he won’t allow nukes to get into the hands of the bad guys. That he won’t repeal the Affordable Care Act causing so many, like my father, to worry about what will happen if the cancer comes back. I have to hope that he won’t allow the government to tell me and my daughter and my future granddaughter(s) what we can and can’t do with our bodies. I have to hope that he will honor the marriages of my many gay friends now and in the future. I have to hope that he will aid in breaking that glass ceiling and demand equal pay for equal work. I have to hope that he will bring jobs to this country without ignoring the threat that climate change poses to our beautiful planet. I have to hope that he will stop teaching our children that it’s no big deal to objectify women, that he will stop teaching them that demeaning rhetoric is both acceptable and effective.  I have to hope that he will prove NOT to be the bully we fear he is.

I have to hope for all of that…because without hope, we have nothing.  But here’s the thing my friends, hoping does not mean acquiescing. If our next President creates policy that flies in the face of humanity and the values I hold dear, I will fight. I will raise my hand and my voice. I will exercise my right to gather in peaceful protest. I will not lie down. I will not go silent. Oh no. I will gather my sisters and brothers who share my values and we will come together to sing our song. We will march on Washington. We will write our legislators. We will leverage the power of social media.

But first, I will wait. I will hope. And I will give this man a chance to prove me wrong. Because I love my country just as much as does Mr. Trump.  So there’s a common ground I’m willing to stand on…albeit cautiously so.

So come on, Mr. Trump. Prove me wrong. I double dog dare ya.

“The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on.” – Barack Obama

David Chapelle’s monologue from SNL: http://uproxx.com/tv/dave-chappelle-snl-monologue-video/