Like you, I am recovering from post-election stupor and starting to take stock of our new world. And if elections inevitably result in winners and losers, for sure one big winner has been the PA Wine & Spirits Shop, at least the one around the corner from me. The staff, well, they’ve gotten to know me these last few weeks. 

I’m coping in healthier ways too, primarily by taking a “news holiday.” No news, not even KYW Newsradio, a hard habit to break. So if Sarah Palin’s our next Secretary of Defense, I won’t know. Do me a favor, don’t tell me. 

A happy consequence of my news holiday has been getting reacquainted with my living room bookshelves. It’s been fun rereading William L. Shirer’s “Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,” Arthur Koestler’s “Darkness at Noon” and the 1948 World Book Encyclopedia. (Remember Rhodesia?) 

And last night, after perusing the shelves, I found myself flipping through my old Basic Catechism. Don’t tell me you lost yours? 

For you non-Catholics, Basic Catechism is the book the Church gives children preparing for First Communion. Essentially, it’s a kid-friendly field guide to the Catholic universe — a how-to manual for getting into Heaven, heavy on virtues fundamental to being a good person. 

Of course, the juicy parts are all about those behaviors that are sure to land you in Hell: The Seven Deadly Sins. 

As I brushed up on these turpitudes, words started jumping out at me: Meanness. Immorality. Selfishness. Vindictiveness. Vainglory. Avarice. Anger. 

Whoa. Sound like any recently elected presidential candidate? Turns out my bookshelves aren’t a perfect refuge for how I’m feeling these days. 

I started working at Weavers Way in November 2008. Those were heady times at the Co-op: Barack Obama had just been elected and the Phillies won the World Series. There was a crackle in the air. This November, a very different mood has set in. 

The Co-op is, of course, non-partisan. I’m glad for that. Everyone, regardless of political affiliation, is welcome to shop at our stores. Everyone is welcome to join, too — membership at Weavers Way is open to all. 

But if you’re shopping at Weavers Way, here are a few things you should understand:

Anyone who thinks climate change is a myth should know that the Co-op supports tough environmental regulations. Our Mission Statement explicitly says: “We work to sustain a healthy planet and promote environmentally sound products and practices.” 

Anyone who thinks we should build walls to keep people out should know that one of our Ends states: “Weavers Way will have a welcoming culture that values diversity, openness, inclusiveness and respect.” 

Anyone who thinks we should register people, or round them up and kick them out of this country should know that our Mission Statement also says: “We embrace diversity and seek to reflect that diversity in our membership.”

Anyone who thinks people should be banned from entering this country because of their religion should know that our Mission Statement says we will “maintain welcoming stores which operate in an atmosphere of trust and respect.”

Anyone who thinks it’s acceptable to bully and belittle those who disagree with you should know that one of the International Cooperative Principles states: “Cooperatives serve their members most effectively by working together through local, national, regional and international structures.”

Anyone who thinks that the ostentatious flaunting of personal fortune and the accumulation of wealth for the purposes of self-aggrandizement are virtuous pursuits should know that we have built a dynamic, growing, sustainable business based not on profit, but on meeting the needs of our members. 

I could go on. 

The documents I mention — the International Cooperative Principles, the Weavers Way Mission Statement, the Co-op’s Ends and even our Product Philosophy — all guide us as we run the Co-op, day in and day out. Read them for yourself at www.weaversway.coop/about. They are the foundation for why and how we do what we do.

Or maybe what we need is a Co-op Catechism, a little how-to guide for getting into Co-op Heaven (where, I hear, you can always find a parking spot, the lines are short and they never run out of apple-cider doughnuts). 

And as for the next four years, we’ll get through them together, cooperatively. It’s what we do. 

See you around the Co-op.