There is a saying: Democracy doesn't work unless you do.

I never really knew what that meant until the evening of November 8, 2016, when one of the worst United States presidents of contemporary history was elected to office. Sidenote: no one was running around then making fantastical claims of election fraud. Just sayin’

In the fallout of those next few weeks, I came to the painful conclusion that I didn't do enough personally to help support my preferred candidate to victory. And in the depths of my despair, let me tell you, that was a big pill to swallow. I knew her loss wasn't my fault alone. Still, I knew I had to bear some responsibility in learning the lesson of preventing a similar devastating election outcome in the future. It frustrates me at times that in society, the actions of the individual "I" aren't seen as directly impacting the collective "we."

Looking back, I realize now I just did the bare minimum to support my candidate. I shared posts on social media, and I donated money to the campaign. Overall, I was just so naively over-confident, I didn't think there was a need to do anything more. I was happy in my feminist echo chamber and prepared to see a significant glass ceiling shattered. Instead, I ended up disillusioned and sick to my stomach. I'll never forget that feeling. I made a promise to myself that I would do whatever I could to never go through that experience again.