Heart palpitations. Pacing the floor, mumbling to yourself. Acting like a complete fool as you stare at the object of your obsession. My palms begin to sweat. There are a lot more than butterflies moving around in my stomach. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I’m up all night waiting for those three little words. I can hardly breathe. My obsession teases me, taking me to the edge every night, an excruciatingly slow build up in anticipation of blessed release. My eyes are glued to my obsession. I check my phone and iPad every two minutes hoping to hear something, anything from my obsession.

I started thinking about how romance books sometimes describe love. All the words I used above seem familiar don’t they? I was almost cracking myself up as I realized this is exactly what I’ve been going through since Tuesday night. I’ve had that racing heart. Pacing in front of the TV has been my go-to exercise routine. Like many others, I’ve had that nervous stomach that feels like butterflies. I stayed up all night on Tuesday, waiting for CNN to call the election. I have literally only left my living room to take a daily shower, work out, and travel to Seattle on Wednesday to get my hair cut (some things are even more sacrosanct than the election). Of course on my way to Seattle I listened to NPR the whole way and incessantly checked my iPad and phone for updates. My wife joked yesterday that watching CNN was like a slow tease, exactly like making love sometimes, building, building until you tumble over the edge. The three little words I was hoping to hear…Biden has won.

Although I’m still waiting to hear those three little words, fortunately I heard the other three words from my wife nearly seventeen years ago. Love is much better than this current feeling because it mellows and ages well like a good wine. Unfortunately, I don’t believe the results of this election will feel as good, especially if the aftermath brings what we all fear…continued divisiveness and unrest. My only hope is that like love, this will eventually mellow over the months and years to follow.

Hang in there everyone and be patient! Because love is patient. In the meantime, feel free to grab a good book and chill. One of mine if you’d like! Click one of the links below.