Perhaps We Have Turned the Corner

Julie’s Journal | Friday, November 6, 2026

For the first time in a very long time, I feel something I have almost forgotten how to feel about the future of this country.

Hope.

As we begin to absorb the results of Tuesday’s midterm elections, I find myself thinking about just how close we may have come to a very different future.

The American people have spoken. And with Democrats taking control of both the House and the Senate, they have spoken loudly.

I don’t believe this election was simply about Democrats defeating Republicans. I believe it was about something much bigger. It was about Americans looking at the direction of their country and saying, enough.

Enough of the chaos. Enough of the cruelty. Enough of the dishonesty, the division, the attacks on our institutions, and the seemingly endless efforts to convince us that what we were witnessing with our own eyes wasn’t really happening.

I’ve wondered many times over these past two years how much more this country could endure.

And I have watched what has been happening in parts of Europe, where citizens have taken to the streets in protest over governments, economic pressures, and policies they believe are failing them. Different countries, different circumstances, certainly. But the underlying frustration is something I recognize.

People eventually reach a point where they feel they are no longer being heard.

I worried that America was heading toward that same breaking point. Frankly, I wasn’t sure we could withstand another two years on the course we were following without doing even more lasting damage to the fabric of this country.

But perhaps Tuesday changed that trajectory.

Perhaps, through the simple but extraordinary act of voting, Americans have given themselves a chance to change direction before the damage becomes even more difficult to repair.

Now, I’m not naive. I don’t expect miracles. Donald Trump remains president. The divisions in this country haven’t magically disappeared. And the enormous challenges facing us won’t be resolved simply because Democrats have taken control of Congress.

But there is something profoundly reassuring about the possibility of restoring meaningful checks and balances, accountability, and a Congress willing to stand up for the people it represents.

I want elected officials who understand that public office is a responsibility, not a personal entitlement. People who recognize that government exists to serve its citizens, not the ambitions, fortunes, or egos of those who hold power.

And I want a country where compassion isn’t considered weakness, where truth still matters, and where disagreement doesn’t automatically make someone an enemy.

With control of both the House and Senate comes an extraordinary opportunity—and an equally extraordinary responsibility.

Democrats now have the power to demand accountability, conduct meaningful oversight, and put forward legislation that addresses the real concerns of Americans. They won’t be able to accomplish everything with Donald Trump still in the White House. But they can make it clear that Congress is no longer willing to simply stand by.

And they must remember that the voters who entrusted them with this power expect results, not political theater.

Because ultimately, this shouldn’t be about one political party winning.

It should be about the American people winning.

Maybe that’s what I’m feeling most strongly this morning. Not triumph. Not revenge. Not even celebration, exactly.

Relief.

Relief that our democracy still has the capacity to correct itself. Relief that millions of Americans cared enough to make their voices heard. Relief that we may finally have an opportunity to move away from the darkness and toward something better.

We have a long road ahead. There will be resistance, setbacks, and undoubtedly more political battles.

But for the first time in a long time, I feel as though we may have gotten our hands back on the steering wheel.

And perhaps the most important lesson of this election is that the steering wheel never really belonged to the politicians in the first place.

It belonged to us.

Let’s hope we never forget that.

Julie Bolejack, MBA

The Mindful Activist