Understanding ‘The Days Ahead’ as a Framework for Transition
In the military, there is a resource for when a family or spouse loses a service member called The Days Ahead: Essential Papers for Families of Fallen Service. This is for when a spouse becomes a widow or widower, when a child loses a parent, and when a family loses a family member. Created and provided by Military One Source, an official resource for the Department of Defense, The Days Ahead is a print and digital resource guide designed to make the grieving process easier.
Taking it out of the context of the military and death, the resource is meant to serve as an aid during a time of transition.
It’s been a week since the results of the 2024 Presidential Election and Donald Trump has been elected the 47th President of the United States. Upon this breaking news, various news outlets have reported on the feelings of fear and uncertainty from women, LGBTQIA, and minority groups.
Writers Shane Goldmacher and Lisa Lerer, in their 2024 article for The Salt Lake Tribune, writes, “Trump will serve as the 47th president four years after reluctantly leaving office as the 45th…his win ushers in an era of uncertainty for the nation…to roughly half the country, Trump’s rise portends a dark turn for American democracy, whose future will now depend on a man who has openly talked about undermining the rule of law.”
Trump will be entering his second term as President, after having a full four years to sit out and plan his reemergence. Throughout his campaign, the 78 year old President-elect has promised a complete renovation of America, complete with plans to overhaul reproductive rights, immigration, and the economy. Writers Kevin Liptak and Kaitlan Collins, in their 2024 article for CNN, “Trump’s Second Term Will Look Nothing Like His First”, writes, “With the Republican Party now entirely his, its anti-Trump figures banished for good, Trump will enter the Oval Office with both the experience of having done the job before and a wealth of resentments over how he believes the system failed him.”
What will “the days ahead” look like as America gears up for another Trump presidency? What will be the aids that will help make the transition into the next 4 years easier? That is the question many American people have on their minds. RIght now, many individuals and their close knit friends and communities are gathering as many resources as possible to best come up with a plan to move forward. Even with the uncertainty, some are clinging to the American Dream, however unclear it may be.
