A scant two years ago today, Red still owned the grand trifecta of American politics, i.e. the Presidency, the House, and the Senate. Two years ago today, many leading voices among the Red still openly voiced their dreams of an endless sea of Red as the future of this nation.

But tomorrow, this nation will instead vote in a Blue president, a Blue House, and a Blue Senate. No Red to be found. The only question left open is: “How big a landslide?”

This is what I love so much about America. The same people who voted twice for Bush — the same people who made the up the >80% approval rating for Bush in the aftermath of 9/11 — the same people who made up the 62% who favored the Iraq war when bombing began in March 2003 — these same people will be voting for Obama tomorrow.

This is the genius of America. The political winds here can shift 180 degrees in one day (from pro-corporate to anti- this time around) and there is no violence. No threat of insurrection. No public hangings.

America is a roiling river. You think you know America. But turn your head away for a moment, and when you turn back, the nation has been reborn. Transformed. Metamorphosed.

This is what the natural world is. Our family lives in the mountains that surround Silicon Valley. Up until Thursday, the fire danger in our area was extreme. The land was parched — hadn’t seen rain in months. Light breezes generated dust clouds.

But last Thursday, a raging wind came in from the West. It whipped the dried-out trees into a glorious dance, Fall leaves flying everywhere. And on our property, a centuries old oak tree literally had its top blown off. That is, the massive crown came flying off — lucky for us it missed the barn. Two days later, in the deluge that followed the wind, a decades old poplar tree landed on our carport.

I bring up our banal weather stories by way of saying that this is America too. What may seem to our eyes to be permanent and solid is actually transient and liquid. Permanence is but illusion.

This is true of nature. And it is true of America. Bless this beautiful country.