Somewhere Between Hope and Skepticism

Julie’s Journal | Wednesday, November 11, 2026

I don’t know quite how to describe what I’m feeling these days.

Hopeful? Yes.

Skeptical? Absolutely.

Confused? More than I care to admit.

It’s as though everything around me is changing at once, and I’m standing in the middle of it, trying to decide which direction to look.

We have just come through an election that consumed so much of our attention, our energy, and, for many of us, our emotions. For months, we watched, worried, argued, hoped, and wondered what would happen.

And now the election is behind us.

Or is it?

The voting may be over, but the waiting certainly isn’t.

Now we wait to see what the results will actually mean. We wait to see whether promises become actions, whether our elected officials remember the people who sent them to Washington, and whether the political temperature in this country might finally come down a few degrees.

I want to be hopeful. I really do.

But I’ve lived long enough to know that elections and governing are two very different things. Campaign speeches are easy. Delivering meaningful change is considerably harder.

So I’m allowing myself a little optimism, but I’m keeping my skepticism close at hand.

Meanwhile, life seems determined to remind me that politics is only one part of the world.

Here in Indiana, fall is giving way to winter. The beautiful leaves that delighted me just a short time ago are disappearing. The trees are becoming bare. The days are getting shorter, the mornings colder, and darkness arrives before I’m quite ready for it.

And somehow, in the middle of all this, the holidays are practically knocking at the door.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Christmas decorations are appearing everywhere. There are meals to plan, gifts to consider, traditions to enjoy, and all those little things that make this time of year both wonderful and exhausting.

Part of me wants to throw myself into the holidays, surround myself with family, good food, beautiful decorations, and the warmth of the season.

Another part of me is still watching Washington, wondering what happens next.

And yet another part of me would simply like to sit quietly with a cup of coffee and watch the last leaves fall.

Is that too much to ask?

I suppose what I’m experiencing is the strange collision of the personal and the political, the ordinary and the extraordinary.

The world doesn’t stop turning because we’re worried about our country. The holidays don’t wait until we’ve sorted through our feelings. The seasons don’t pause while we decide whether to be optimistic or pessimistic.

Life just keeps coming at us.

And perhaps that’s what I’m struggling with most right now. There’s no neat conclusion to any of it.

I can’t tell you that everything is going to be fine. I can’t tell you that the election has solved our problems. And I certainly can’t tell you that I’ve suddenly found peace with everything happening in this country.

But I can tell you that I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving. I’m excited about Christmas. I’m still finding beauty in the changing seasons.

And I’m hopeful that the months ahead might bring some positive changes.

Maybe that’s enough for today.

Maybe we don’t have to choose between hope and skepticism. Maybe we can carry both. Maybe we can remain concerned citizens while still allowing ourselves to enjoy the lives we’ve worked so hard to build.

I’m beginning to think that hope doesn’t necessarily mean believing everything will turn out the way we want.

Sometimes hope is simply refusing to give up on the possibility that things can get better.

So that’s where I am this Wednesday morning.

A little hopeful. A little skeptical. A little overwhelmed.

And very much looking forward to Christmas.

How about you? Are you feeling hopeful, skeptical, exhausted, or some combination of all three?

Because I have a feeling I’m not alone.

Julie Bolejack, MBA

The Mindful Activist

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