Dull Dread: Inauguration Day 2025

Last updated on: January 21, 2025 at 5:07 pm by Christine Schmertz Navarro

Dull Dread: Inauguration Day 2025 2025-01-21T17:07:16-08:00 Christine Schmertz Navarro

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Pink camellia flowers on green leaves.

The first flowers of Spring deserve my attention instead of worrying about things outside my sphere of infulence.

I celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. today rather than the new president. Unfortunately, my dull dread is that during this administration, vulnerable people will lose housing, food, healthcare, and other benefits that they desperately need to live. His presidency is a threat to social justice.

President Donald Trump

I think of the voters who elected Donald Trump. I hope that they benefit from this presidency as promised. Will non-voters realize that each vote matters? My dull dread comes from fears that wealthy Americans and their businesses will win and everyone else, including democracy, will be in the losing category.

President Trump has walked back nearly all his promises. He cannot reduce inflation or end the war in Ukraine on his first day. Trump cannot rid the United States of criminal immigrants, in part because immigrants, whether illegal or legal, contribute greatly to this country and commit half as many crimes as their citizen neighbors. The President lied when he said he knew nothing about Project 2025. He brought his followers into his grievances and promised improvement, but I believe he is only in the presidency for himself. I hope that his followers learn this in a non-painful way.

Talk of taking over the Panama Canal or buying Greenland or Canada is crazy.

Sources of Encouragement

Here in Western Washington, the days are getting longer; dusk falls later than four or four-thirty. Today is sunny. People celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Day post encouraging messages, some charging the reader to stick with values even amidst challenges. Amanda Gorman shared a poem of hope amidst ashes.

I know that the large oak tree across the street will become green in several months and that tulips and daffodils will bloom even sooner. Thank you, Mother Nature!

Firefighters bravely attack fires in Los Angeles with generous help from other states, Canada, and Mexico. Their dedication to assisting and saving people they do not know inspires me.

People who have recently lost husbands or wives get up each morning despite the pain that greets them upon opening their eyes. Their courage inspires me.

Teachers will go to school tomorrow. Doctors and nurses will help people in offices, clinics, and hospitals. Police are on duty. Their work inspires me.

Ministers, rabbis, imams, and other religious leaders will guide their congregations through the next four years with God’s help. Believers will continue to worship. Their faith inspires me.

The National News and Nature

I may have to limit my exposure to the national news in the coming months. I recently subscribed to two local papers. To escape dull dread, I should focus on dedicated professionals’ contributions, believers’ faith, and the regular gifts of Mother Nature.

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