I really loved seeing the inauguration yesterday. It felt so powerful to have a leader of our nation who was talking about hope and peace, and directly addressing these huge themes that have been going on all year, from Covid to Civil War, white supremacy to environmental action. Not only that, he has so far followed up with action, such as returning us to the Paris accord, and increasing diversity in government leadership.
Now we can always argue about whether these things are enough, or too much, right or wrong— but regardless of the policies themselves, which I view as complex and worthy of extensive discussion, the biggest thing that really hit me was the sense of stability. We have a representative of our country who is calling us actively to peace, while still encouraging us to hold diverse viewpoints and to explore them.
It is still up to us to shape this country. One leader does not change everything. We are the ones who hold him accountable. We are the ones who argue and fight for what we believe – but peacefully.
Yesterday I felt hope.

Hope is not a dirty word. Hope gives us the energy to break through apathy and create actual change. Anger and ego can do the same, which is why I think the last president was so popular; he helped us to find and champion emotions such as pride and anger. But HOPE expands us.
I hope that we as a country can work on many of the themes that were highlighted this last year. Biden absolutely does not represent going back to the old order; we have never, never been a country that valued brown or black lives and had a direct agenda of facing racism, nativism, environment, and white supremacy as the core of a presidential platform. We are in an identity revolution as a country and that will create discomfort for many people, even those who knew we need some kind of change.
But there is an invitation to forge the very country some of us have always dreamed of. and I’m not talking about policies. I’m talking about energy. Intention. Compassion. Activism. Goodness.
That begins with Hope, and it will require extensive education, compassion, and firm action from all of us to actively co-create the rebuilding of our shared ideology as the United States. Old parts of the old system may still be breaking down within our government, but with compassion as our driving force instead of fear, we can become a more truer vision of a healthy society. Are we up to the challenge?
I do believe that hope in this country was damaged by the prior four years of the presidency. Many people lost hope in what America stood for. Others gained hope for the first time, but it was a hope based in fear of alternatives. Still others began to dream of anarchy. People talked about the United States being unsustainable as a model, imagining a better country if the United States fell, or broke into separate countries all together.
I’ve seen the same pattern in love relationships. When a partner is seriously considering the destruction of the relationship, it’s a sign of deep dissatisfaction, and often the hope is almost dead. For the relationship to be revived, hope must be restored. Love must be nourished.
We must be willing to re-create our connections with a shared reality. That means dialogue. That means releasing the shaming of other people. It means being willing to be open and honest about our perspectives.
We are in a revolution, but we have the opportunity with it to become something greater than we’ve ever been before. Think about how you can nurture hope in your own life. What must happen for you to feel hopeful about each day as it comes? What must happen for you to feel proud of your community, state, and nation? meditating on these questions as part of the healing process.
DAILEY LITTLE is a healing practitioner, transformational life coach, ordained Priestess, and teacher who founded Healing Heart Reiki to help others navigate life with joy. She offers private sessions, and teaches classes in healing and mindset from a magical peaceful corner of the world in Northern California. For more info see: www.SantaRosaReiki.com
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