During his last press conference as president, in the days before President Trump's inauguration, Barack Obama expressed an optimism that America would be just fine.

He was addressing the hyperbole from those still in shock that Trump did, indeed, win the presidency just months before. And, they lamented, what is to become of us. This seemed like the end of the world, some said.

"The only thing that is the end of the world is the end of the world," Obama said. "At my core, I think we're going to be OK."

And we are.

We're OK.

Amazingly, more than 30 percent of registered voters in Wichita County took part in the midterms. While that may seem small -- less than half -- that's double what we've seen in recent elections.

Great job, Wichita County.

Tuesday's election is passed. Voters spoke for divided government, which, if history proves true, can be a time of great progress. Political adversaries can come to the table, find common ground and get things done.

The stock market was already responding Wednesday morning to the prospect of a Democratic House and a Republican Senate.

"We shouldn't automatically assume the economy is going to go south just because the houses are controlled by different parties," David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, told The New York Times. "When you have houses controlled by different parties they actually have to compromise a bit if they're going to get anything done, and this tends to sometimes be positive."

That's what voters want, right, when two parties serve? Shouldn't we? To work toward the common good?

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a press conference Wednesday morning highlighted areas where Congress succeeded even when Democrats were forced to work with the ruling party and expressed similar optimism as Obama's that adversaries could work together.

We have no other choice. This wonderful experiment we call democracy works when we get things done -- together.

When something is rammed through, the opposition spends every ounce of energy thwarting the progress. The pendulum swings, power shifts, the ramming-through goes the opposite direction. And we're at it again.

Wouldn't it be nice if elections did end, if a pause button were hit on campaigning and predicting and anointing the next great hope?

We can only hope.

But it's the morning -- or mourning, depending on your perspective -- after an election. The campaigning will no doubt begin in earnest.

Did you sense the pause? It was good while it lasted.