The Best of Times, the Worst of Times

It’s the best of time and the worst of times.

Tomorrow morning, I will turn on my TV in search of inspiration. I will be home alone but I will be joining millions of Americans—Obama, Clinton and McCain supporters, as well as people who didn’t vote at all—who realize that the inauguration of our 44th president is truly an historic moment. At long last, we have a minority president, something many of us had despaired of seeing in our lifetimes. At long last, we will face down the divisiveness and fear that dominated the last eight years. At long last, we will have a “decider” who makes the difficult decisions but does so with the benefit not only of a great leader’s intuition, but also of informed, intellectual curiosity and of the insights of the best minds, including those who don’t necessarily agree with him. This is truly the best of times.

Meanwhile, tomorrow morning, my husband will head to work—and find out if he still has a job. His company will lay off several hundred workers who will join the millions of Americans who are already unemployed. If he is laid off, he will likely be out of work for some 17 weeks and he will likely never regain his current salary level. We will have to figure out how—and if—we can continue paying our mortgage and two college tuitions. And we will not be alone. Unemployment has gone up every month for 13 months, reaching 7.2% in December, the highest in 16 years. We are entering the second year of the longest recession in 25 years. And every prediction is that things will get worse. If my husband is “lucky,” he will still have to watch colleagues and friends pack their belongings and leave the building for good, work longer hours to compensate for the missing hands and brains, and wonder how long until the next workforce reduction. Either way, his professional life will never be the same. In many ways, this is certainly the worst of times.

We don’t know yet what words President Obama will use as he stands on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Like Franklin Roosevelt, he will surely remind us we cannot embrace fear if we are to conquer our very real challenges. Like John Kennedy, he will surely call upon us to think beyond our own problems and work together for the benefit of all. And simply by standing on that podium and raising his hand, he will be a powerful reminder that there really is an American dream and that anything is possible.

It is not a coincidence that we elected Obama during this economic crisis. I am convinced that is what tipped the election in his favor. But it is the worst of times that summons the greatest leaders and inspires the very best in all of us. For that reason, I am convinced that this is the beginning of the best of America’s history.