In September 2014, after Green Bay dropped to 1-2 on the season, quarterback Aaron Rodgers – during an ESPN radio interview – told fans: “Five letters here just for everybody out there in Packer-land: R-E-L-A-X. Relax. We’re going to be OK.” The team won 11 of the next 13 games… and made it to the NFC Championship before falling to Seattle.
We’re now three weeks since America awakened on November 9 to learn Donald Trump is the president-elect. It’s been a dynamic 21 days as people express their disappointment, excitement, frustration, joy, anxiety, hopefulness, uncertainty, confidence, anger, happiness, fear, comfort, concern, anticipation.
Last night, Mr. Trump had dinner with Mitt Romney – one of his most outspoken pre-election critics – and it appears he’s considering the 2012 Republican candidate for secretary of state. It’s as if there is a disruption in the space-time continuum… one year later than Doc Brown encountered in Back to the Future III. Up is down. Left is right. Backward is forward.
Mr. Trump’s words and actions from years past are well documented. What he said and how he treated people during the run-up to the election were right there for everyone to see. Yet, even some of my closest friends, when telling me why they were going to vote for him, said: “I’m confident he’ll change once he takes office.”
Immediately after the election, my daughters said they are scared. While I know this country is bigger than any one person – we survived the Civil War, assassinations, two World Wars, the resignation of a president, the Great Depression and everything else that’s ever occurred – it’s too soon for me to hug them and say, “Relax, we’re going to be OK.”
We’re 51 days until the inauguration. I’m praying President Trump is different than the man we’ve seen thus far, because in four years we won’t have Marty McFly available to journey back in time and fix things.
