Good morning America! I’m guessing you are either deep in terror or in the throws of celebration right now since this fun election season is finally over (BTW, read to the end for some insight into what happened on election night….). Either way, you need a vacation! May I recommend Lake Placid, Florida in Highlands County?

Why, you ask? Well, it is a beautiful small town just a short drive from Orlando, Tampa, and Miami. I know of Lake Placid because I graduated high school there (go Green Dragons!), but I only partially “grew-up” there. I moved there in the 8th grade (14 years old I think) from Ft. Lauderdale, and moved out literally two weeks after high school graduation to go to college in Orlando. They have great festivals such as the Arts festival and the semi-famous Caladium Festival, plus beautiful recreational lakes, such as Lake Clay pictured above. It’s peaceful, and a great getaway, in short you need to go!

Okay, so this post isn’t really sponsored by the Lake Placid Chamber, it’s a semi-veiled attempt for me to explain how Trump got elected and why you were surprised by it (if you were in the surprised category!). It is also to give you some hope for the future. You see, Lake Placid is Trump Country (at least as I see from my Facebook wall and my visit this past summer). It is a rural community with decidingly local, pro-US values. Residents are not racists, nuts, or any other adjective sometimes casually thrown at Trump Country, but I’m guessing many do not know that since they have not visited or gotten to know this part of America. They do know you however. They travel to the cities (Orlando, Tampa, Miami) frequently and watch Tampa television. I think its important we all get to know each other. My friends from Ft. Lauderdale/Miami/Orlando/Tampa, do not visit, in fact they generally do not know where Lake Placid is on a map when I tell people that is where I partially grew up. This is why the election was a shocker to some, Trump carried a part of the country the other part didn’t really know existed, let alone understood. If we are to work together, we really do need to get to know each other. My guess is that if we do, we will realize we are not that different.

Lake Placid, and other small towns like it across America,  has wonderful people, not really that different from those in Orlando. Visit Lake Placid, you will understand so much more about America, and be a better person for it!