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Amidst social media posts filled with fear, tears in the school hallway, and protests that have already begun in heartbroken cities, it is hard to put into words what has occurred over the last 48 hours. I am shocked; I am in a deep stage of confusion where everything feels like a nightmare, repeating itself over and over again. This nightmare, however, is not a nightmare. I am not waking up soon and I am not dreaming of a potential outcome. This is reality, and Donald Trump will become the 45th President of the United States in January of 2017. Yes, you read that correctly. You are awake.

I have read countless articles, listened to podcasts, and skimmed letters people have written only to discover that this feeling that I am experiencing, this feeling of sadness, confusion, anger, and sorrow, is one that I am certainly not suffering alone. This suffering is widespread across the United States of America. Yet that is not the point I wish to share.

It took me some time to spell out what I desired to write about. I jumped at the idea of future America and pondered writing about where our country will be in four years, where I will be in four years, and how Trump’s presidency will have shaped America up to 2020. I mulled over breaking down my thoughts about how something like this could have happened in our country and how it affects the lives of women, the LGBTQ community, Muslims living in America, immigrants from other countries. Americans. I contemplated writing about just my emotions, just what I am feeling exactly at this moment. In a way I am doing that, but I hope there is more to be taken away than just my pure sentiment. In the last few minutes, I came to terms with what I hope readers will take away from my thoughts: We are more than this. We are more than four years.

Together, it is our job to push forward. We have done it before and we can do it again. There’s a quote I like that I believe expresses the goal our country should work for: “Take a deep breath, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.” In just 15 words, Frank Sinatra sums up the mindset we all need to obtain. I know it is not easy to live Sinatra’s words. I know it is not easy to actually follow what he is trying to convince us. Yet if we all remember and take a small dose of these 15 words everyday, we are working towards becoming more than this.

More than four years.