And now I’m depressed. No joke.

I was just talking with one of my closest friends about how quickly summer is fading. We talked about time, and the error of counting the days; but we also talked about politics. (It’s expected. We’re both self-described political junkies.)

I commented, “I’m so ready for this election to over. Just 72 days until Nov. 6, the day after the election.”

And he said, “Over?” Nope.”

And then I realized he was right.

On November 6, – – no matter who wins the election — many of my friends will be celebrating and filled with happiness and satisfaction. On the other side of aisle, many of my friends will be feeling somewhat hopeless, disconnected and fearful.

A wise man once told me: “Expectations are pre-mediated resentments.”

What are we expecting from this election? After CNN tallies the results, do we all walk out onto the playing field and shake hands with the opposing team? Hardly.

So, I am now tempering my expectations and reminded of the fact that the Reality Fairy doesn’t carry a wand. She carries a 2 x4.

Thus, here are a few of my expectations about what life will be like on November 6 (the day after the election), regardless of who wins.

1.) We will still fight with one another. People will still weaponize social media in order to push and cement their own political narrative.

2.) Too many of our neighbors will still be living in tents, mostly forgotten.

3.) We will still be easily distracted by celebrity “news” and gossip. We will continue paying some people millions of dollars simply because they are really good at running and catching a leather ball.

4.) Our political leaders will still fight and offer us plenty of finger-pointing, blame and derision, but few — if any — solutions will be built upon innovation and collaboration: bipartisanship.

5.) People will continue using credit cards for the things they really cannot afford, whether it’s a vacation or a new tattoo.

6.) We will not be satisfied with anything. The cost of housing, utilities and food will continue to climb, no matter who sits in the Oval Office.

7.) Global hunger will continue and actually get worse.

8.) The rattling of war sabers will continue in Gaza, Ukraine and so many other places around the globe.

9.) Many other nations (North Korea, Iran, China, Russia and so many others) will still hate us and seek to weaken us.

10.) Poor people will still be poor and rich people will still be rich (That’s actually a constant that dates back more than 200,000 years)

My advice? Don’t count the days. Don’t expect things to be fundamentally different. We are all — all of us — Republicans and Democrats — saddled with the same unfortunate reality: that everyone is human, and thus we are all somewhat flawed.

May God have mercy on our souls.

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