We are days away from a new President being sworn into office, but “new” is not the right term. It’s someone we are all too familiar with. But I’m not here to talk about that person. I’m here to talk about the environment in which we are set to swear this person back into office.

I’m a big believer in signs. Not in the sense of signs dictating my path or my decisions, but in the sense that signs are there to serve as a reminder, a validation or a warning. So, when I started to see the signs building up around this moment in history, I knew I had to document them all. I personally believe we will be so inundated with big news, big change and big heartbreak over the next four years that I want to take a moment before it all begins. Four years from now, when we’re hopefully electing a new President, I think it may be easy to forget the signs that were setting the stage for what was to come. So, these are the ones I’m taking note of.

**PHOTOGRAPH BY BETTMANN/GETTY via National Geographic**

This term, Inauguration Day falls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 20th. Since the inception of MLK Jr. Day, only one other President has been inaugurated on a Monday that overlapped (Bill Clinton). After it overlapping this year, both occasions won’t fall on the same day again until 2053. Why is something so rare happening this time around? I can see the negative or sad take. It’s so infuriating that on the same day that we’re supposed to be celebrating the life of a man who fought for basic human rights for an entire race, we’re now having to share that day with someone who has actively threatened to take away the basic human rights of many groups of people. But, I will actively choose to see it another way. As a sign. A sign that over the next four years, we will all be called to have even an ounce of the courage of Martin Luther King Jr. We will be challenged time and time again to fight for the rights of all the people that this administration has threatened, demeaned or scapegoated. It’s on us.

This Inauguration Day, the American flag was supposed to be flown at half staff for the first time in American history. Due to the passing of President Carter, flags are supposed to fly at half staff for 30 days, as is the flag code and respect we are supposed to give in mourning of a passed former President. Unfortunately, the incoming President has decided to break that code and demand that the flags be flown at full staff on Inauguration Day. Not only is flying them at full staff a sign of disrespect, but it also would have been a sign of mourning for our country if they would have maintained the half staff mandate. Half staff represents respect for a tragedy or a loss. Recognition that something monumental has impacted our country in a significant enough way that we need to recognize it across the country. I think that sign would have been extremely fitting for this incoming administration. But, I also plan to use it as a reminder, that amidst tragedy and sadness, we can all find light and hope. During tragedy is when you tend to see the best of people, so I hope we can all bring the best of ourselves for each other these next few years.

The weather on January 20th is going to be below freezing and cloudy in DC. Update! The Inauguration was even moved inside. I fully think that weather dictates mood. Cold and dim feels fitting. The cold elicits a physical reaction of being tense and alert, with the focus of finding warmth or sun so our bodies can regulate. This is another sign that will serve as a reminder that we need to be the light for each other. If the sun isn’t coming out, we need to shed warmth and light on the areas where others plan to strip it away. You may think that this sign is a stretch, but I think it’s one of the most indisputable. The environment is actually serving as a full representation of the day and the days to come.

Those are just a few, but there are a lot more. The announcement that they’re going to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The confirmation of military force to take control of the Panama Canal. The insinuation that we should control Canada and Greenland for national security (but we all know it’s natural resources.) These are all signs of an administration that isn’t actually trying to represent the interests of our citizens, but instead is only trying to look out for themselves. The current President just warned us of an Oligarchy in the making and I think we should all be taking that warning seriously.

I could come up with plenty of other signs that make it seem pretty clear what we’re in for, but I just wanted to document a moment in time for myself. A time where I’m feeling weary and nervous. A time where all signs are pointing to something tough that we’ll have to collectively overcome. I fully believe in moments like this, we have to focus on the good, look out for one another and speak up in situations when we may have stood on the sidelines in the past. They always say that the loudest few are the ones that are heard and they’re the ones being heard right now. Let this serve as your reminder that there are so many of us who want nothing more than a place where everyone can feel safe, loved and cared for as every human is owed. We may not be the loudest few, but we can make sure that our voices don’t get drowned out over the next four years. It’s up to us to do good in a world that wants to make us feel like the negative is too strong.

What are you going to do over the next few years to be a force for good? That’s the question I’ll keep asking myself and acting on. I plan on setting up a recurring donation to the ACLU. I plan on striving to find the facts amongst the disinformation that is already rampant and bound to get worse. I plan to educate myself. I plan to educate others when the opportunity allows. I plan on being there for the groups of people that will inherently be the most affected. And I plan on writing here, in this space, in hopes of being a place where others can feel welcome and safe. I hope you’ll stick around <3