I’ll be the first to admit it: I’ve been slacking this past week. But can you blame me? I tried to quit drinking a couple weeks ago, and made it to Tuesday, November 8—the dreaded election night. I headed to the Mercury’s election party at Doug Fir, decked out in my all-white suffragette look, thinking I was going to celebrate. Even when I got in the car, turned on NPR, and heard “This is quite a nail-biter,” I didn’t let it get me down. They were just doing this to build drama, I thought. As I walked into Doug Fir things were dim, and got dimmer by the moment, which is when I ordered a vodka soda and started texting my friends to say I loved them.

Knowing what we know now, it’s safe to assume the rest of my week sucked: I cried, I drank, and I commiserated with coworkers, friends, and family. There’s been no “business as usual” about my life for the last couple weeks, and that includes finding something to cover for this photo-centric column. 

So what I’m suggesting for this week, as it pours rain, and our feelings pour out on every social media outlet and into the ears of our loved ones, is that we take a look back at summer. A simpler time, a happier time, a time when we never imagined our fellow Americans would vote a reality star into the White House. 

So close your eyes. Open them. And let the sun shine in.