2021 inauguration – out goes one president and in comes the next. What another dramatic moment in United States history, President Trump will not attend Joe Biden’s inauguration, going against a 150 year tradition. Instead of attending, he will give an outgoing speech before leaving office. Surprising? Nope. Not at all. We are a divided nation.
Dusting off my trusty, old Associated Press stylebook I looked up president for the correct written format (capitalize as a formal title, lower case in all other uses) and then, I looked it up online and found the passage written below giving guidance on how to write key topics around today’s inauguration (this is me following my curiosity down another rabbit hole).
2021 Inauguration Topical Guide Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States at noon EST on Jan. 20, and Kamala Harris will take the oath of office for vice president. The inauguration ceremony will be held on the U.S. Capitol’s West Front, one of the locations where a mob overpowered police and stormed the building on Jan. 6. Attendance will be sharply curtailed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Associated Press compiled a style guide of essential words, phrases and definitions. A few terms are from the AP Stylebook. Others are common usage in AP political and historical coverage. apstylebook.com/topical_most_recent
What A Difference 4 Years Make
“… I told you so,” says outgoing President Trump. I look at Alexa sideways not trusting my ears, but, yes, NPR is still playing the President’s live exiting remarks, at Joint Base Andrews, before getting on Air Force One to take him to Florida. Whatever your political view, this is extraordinary times we are living in. To be frank, I am a registered Independent. I do not lean left or right, but I do lean towards accurate, unbiased journalism and throughout the 45th president’s administration I’ve been pushed back and forth not able to trust mainstream media. Fact checking falls to the reader, to the listener, to you, to me.
Sitting at a bar in New York city, my girlfriend and I watched President Trump’s inauguration in 2017. What a great trip. Remember when we could freely travel? Yeah, lots of change over the last 4 years…
“We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done.”
President Trump, excerpt from 2017 inauguration speech
Boy, did we see challenges! And did we get the job done? Hardly. To be fair, as registered independent in Alaska, I did not vote for Mr. Trump and I wasn’t a fan of the incoming president’s slogan Make America Great Again (I thought we were already pretty great). That being said, I still had (and still have) respect for the office. We, collectively, vote for our political representatives. But until we get off our collective behinds and pay attention to who is being voted in to represent us in the Senate and House we will get what we get. And we may remain a divided Nation.
Affirmation
Turning off NPR, I opened up a deck of affirmation cards. Working with affirmations, especially in uncertain times, increases our joy and decreases our stress. And we all need more of that! Taking a few cleansing breaths while shuffling Life Loves You deck, I pulled a single card, letting the Universe guide us with a message:
I create my Future.
Do something today that your future self will thank you for.
Louise Hay
The Universe has a sense of humor, doesn’t it? Have you ever worked with oracle cards or the tarot? Messages are uncanny and timely just when you need it. Pretty cool, huh? Loved that this card popped out just when we need it most. Here’s to the the future that will make our future selves proud!
Sending you love and happiness.