**This post is not meant to welcome a debate about political beliefs or to discredit any of the presidential candidates.
Yesterday, the day after the presidential election, much of the West Coast was feeling the effects of what felt like a very persistent, stubborn hangover, regardless of if we had enjoyed a strong beverage on election night or not. Most of us are exhausted after a long campaigning period prior to the election itself. After more than a year of campaigning that led to a very controversial election of Donald Trump, Americans are flooding social media with a cascade of conflicting emotional banter. It's everywhere you turn: newspapers, magazines, Facebook, Twitter, and the ONLY topic during water cooler talk. I was feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of backlash from the election. I was bummed that our country was so divided and frustrated that negative comments/actions towards women and minorities continue to be an obvious issue and validated by the media as well as some fellow citizens.
I decided to take a leisurely stroll along the lake to clear my head.
Around a corner came a woman, out of breath, hurriedly carrying a camera bag. She asked if it would be okay to take a picture of me to test the lighting for her engagement shoot she was about to have with a couple in less than ten minutes. I agreed and she quickly took several photographs before I left her on the path. I continued walking as she hid in the bushes to wait for the couple with the unsuspecting bride-to-be.
Further down the path, I saw a young couple, who I anticipated to be the subjects for the engagement shoot: a very nervous-looking man holding hands with a pretty young lady while enjoying their walk. As they strolled past me I reflected on the unexpected nature of this event. It lifted my spirits tremendously to know that I had in some small way helped the photographer prepare for her photo shoot, and also that I had played a small sliver of a part in this couple's love story, regardless of if they knew me or not. I think that we, as Americans, can all get behind that. Love conquers all. We may just all need a reminder of that after this week's political events.
A special thank you to Shelly for these photographs. You made my day.