MAPLE ROSEMARY CARAMELIZED APPLES WITH PECAN MILK OATMEAL.

Yesterday, America got a good, deep, horrifying look at itself in the mirror. We saw that the shame that drives fear and racism and bigotry and sexism is still alive and well all across this country. We saw that, despite a hyper-vocal feminist seeming-majority, misogyny is still rampant. We saw that, despite all the headway we thought we’d made towards a utopic future, we still have an astonishing amount of work to do.

We have so much work to do.

In moments, as I sat watching the electoral map sweep red, I felt that it was as though, actually, we’ve done hardly anything at all. We now have, as our elected president, a man who was endorsed by the KKK and the NRA. A man who wants to build a wall between our country and our neighbors. A man who has frequently assaulted women. I don’t remember ever before feeling so physically uncomfortable. So isolated.

So now, what now? Now that we know it’s too easy to live in a bubble, to ignore the banality of evil? What now that we know we can no longer take any of our liberties for granted? Now that the strides we’ve made to equalize pluralities of race, religion, and sexual preference have been electorally reversed? What now that the majority of America has said they reject the beliefs I hold most dear?

The truth is, I’ve spent so much of the past year saying no—no to racism, no to ignorance, no to murder, no to terrorism, no to sexism, no to extremism in all forms—that I can barely remember what it feels like to, instead, ask why. But in order to move forward, I know that I must.

We have so much work to do.

This week, I watched the first episode of Van Jones’ series THE MESSY TRUTH, in which he traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to speak to families who feel radically different than he does—than I do—about the presidential election. In a family full of Trump supporters, Jones forged some semblance of peace through dialogue.

The overwhelming sentiment was one of disbelief—incredulousness that we’ve come so far from being able to exchange opposing ideas with one another. A mother lamented the loss of friendships because of vicious name-calling on Facebook. Teenagers sat in silence, watching their parents resist and then relax into the ease of a true conversation—one in which people may have been frustrated, but everyone felt heard and respected, their core values uplifted, rather than diminished.

I, too, sat in awe, on my side of the screen. Now, more than ever, we know that Facebook and Twitter can be mere echo chambers. As we rebuild our country in the wake of an impossibly bizarre and divisive election, it is my responsibility to listen to people who feel differently than I do. I know this. I know I need to listen more closely to them than to anyone else.

We have so much work to do.

Still though, my commitment to my version of the truth, to what I believe to be the right way, is strong. I do have vicious feelings about people who want to take rights away from me and the people I love most. But this election has also shown us that, in no uncertain terms, we are only as strong as our weakest link. And that one weak link can multiply, through hatred and fear, into a cacophony of terror and, as Trump himself called it in his victory speech, “a movement”.

That means my commitment to the truth of what I believe is right must be as supple and flexible as it is fierce and unflinching—it must be true enough and humane enough to educate even the greatest of cynics, even the angriest and most fearful of bigots. It must be, dare I say it, possessing of those qualities so often stereotyped as being female. I don’t know exactly how this will look, but I do know there must be a way.

We have so much work to do.

And, because I can barely summon the appetite to eat anything at all, here is a soothing breakfast bowl to calm the nerves and strengthen the spirit. There’s subtle magic in rosemary-infused, maple caramelized apples paired with oatmeal and creamy fresh pecan milk.

I didn’t fuss about soaking the pecans ahead of time for the milk: Sure, the enzymes in the nuts might be more difficult to break down without soakage, but this is a fast solution for creamy porridge deliciousness. In a pinch, it’ll more than do. No soaking or straining required.

Perfect fuel for all the work that lies ahead. Courage, friends. There is much to be done. Let’s do it together, better, stronger, and more resilient than ever.