While there is a great amount of hurt and pain experienced by so many this evening, I choose not to go to bed cynical.

I know it is crushing for all those who supported Hillary Clinton to face the reality she will not be the 45th President of the United States, but I hope you take the following into consideration:

Tonight a major political party had a woman at the top of the ticket who garnered more than 60 million votes (and, when it's all said and done, may very likely win the popular vote). A woman who over the years has been litigated, investigated, exonerated, shunned, and belittled in her over 30 years of public service.

A woman who, in many ways, became a caricature that haters would project their own political biases upon, often calling her a criminal, a traitor, and a duplicitous career politician who was (somehow) more interested in the power of governing rather than actual responsibility of doing so.

A woman who was far from perfect candidate, but who seemed to embrace the challenge of trying to make this world a better place.

And yet, despite all conspiracy theories and nonsensical rationales that seemed to dog her at every stage of her political career, she still had a number of avoid followers who gleefully wore pantsuits, canvassed, and decorated the tombstone of Susan B Anthony with a series of "I Voted" stickers as a show of solitary -- perhaps the strongest of all positive symbolic gestures I have seen in this election.

Today a female candidate lost the electoral collage, but challenged the patriarchy and came within striking distance of the presidency. And although she leaves as the runner up to this closely contested election, she moved the needle closer to a female president than ever before.

I am convinced that I will see a woman president in my lifetime. And when it happens,  they will owe a great deal of gratitude to a Hillary Clinton, who took the abuse today for future generations.

So no, I choose not to go to bed cynical, but rather encouraged by a coalition of people who are fighting the good fight and who made a strong political statement today that real change is inevitable.

And it's coming faster than people think.