I love history. It’s part of how I think; of how I process life and it has become a major part of my writing in recent years. I appreciate how historical characters can be helpful to us as examples of persistence and grit. We can all learn something from the past.
Presidential history is of particular historical interest to me. I suppose it comes naturally. The Inauguration of a President happens every four years. When I was really little, I actually attended one. Sitting on my dad’s shoulders, I witnessed President Eisenhower’s second Inaugural. My sister, Kathy and my brother, Gary stood by holding our parents’ hands.
Most Americans look on with a sincere interest during a Presidential Inauguration. We as a family sure did. After all, it’s history!
With its pomp and circumstance, Americans get to see – in real time – the pages of history turn as one President hands over the reins of power to another President. Many times, the incumbent president is re-elected and serves four more years – as was the case when the little-kid version of Dennis Mansfield witnessed President Eisenhower inaugurated a second time.
So, as another Presidential Inauguration occurs, allow me to focus in on a historical anomaly.
It’s called “a non-consecutive Presidency”.
As the 22nd Amendment states: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice…” This allows an incumbent President – who gets defeated for re-election – to run again and, if successful, to serve four additional years.
In other words, to “Keep on, even when it looks like it’s the end, to just keep on.”
Allow this idea of “keeping on” to apply to your life.
We all love to talk about the successes in our lives – and for some folks those successes are pretty BIG! Yet, the truth is that most of our lives are full of give-and-take. We win some, we lose some. It’s a daily ritual of perseverance. For every wonderful weekend, there’s a Monday that follows. For every Christmas season, there’s a January “gloom” time of winter. Up and down, down and up.
The key to a life well-lived is “keeping on.”
Consider these few things in your own life:
- Moving forward often means “failing forward”. The direction of our lives must always be connected to forward thrust. It doesn’t always mean we’ll achieve our every goal; it means instead we’ll always move in a positive direction, succeeding often at unintended goals.
- The road is rough, it’s why we have shock absorbers. Whatever pathway we’re currently taking will have ruts, divots and unanticipated sharp curves. Look for the best, plan for the worst.
- Be excited for unanticipated changes! What? That sounds somewhat crazy… but it’s true. When we live lives of faith, the evidence of things unseen will show itself, the substance of things hoped for will become tangible. Touch it, feel it, grab it. Anticipate it.
Here’s my Presidential Inauguration application to the three bullet points:
Moving forward often means failing forward. Look, he was from New York City. He ran for President amid a whole group of candidates. His tenacity as an east coast deal-maker won out and he was nominated. No one thought this guy could win. On Election Night he narrowly won with the help of his home state and a patchwork of other surprise states, despite sexual scandal, rumors and political evisceration attempts. He moved forward, he failed forward toward a successful January 20th Inauguration Day.
You know the story, but bear with me.
He kept on… as President. His road in office was rough. It was chaotic, he had differences with his Vice President, he angered many people in “The Swamp” by having over 81 million acres of land returned because it had been illegally gained. He used the veto more times than any previous President – over 400 times!
One of his famous quotes after vetoing a bill to give unemployed people additional money was this: “I think…the lesson should be constantly enforced that, though the people support the government, the government should not support the people.”
He successfully nominated four Supreme Court justices, which changed the direction of the court. People hated his choices. One Senator said, “I hate the ground that man walks on.”
Then he ran for reelection. He kept on.
Everybody knows this story!
He was excited for the next four years. He was easily renominated. His political opponent defeated several other well-known politicos to gain his own nomination.
However, the scandalous accusations arose again, the states that supported the President changed columns and supported the opponent. Even his own home state of New York defected from him.
And he lost the Presidency.
He kept on, again.
C’mon, you KNOW the story.
Four years of being on the outside looking in, caused him to run once more. It was a long four years of slogging through the election process, and he pursued it.
So must YOU, in your particular, personal slog. Keep on, keep on, no matter what.
(Of course, you know the story.)
The former President debated in the public square the public policy of the man who defeated him. People could see that there was a clear difference between the two Presidents.
Once nominated, the ex-President chose another, different nominee for Vice President, and on Election Day his party won the House and the Senate!
Most importantly, for himself, he won the Presidency, again.
He kept going, moving forward, failing forward, lunging forward towards his own personal and national goal. His re-election was successful and during his transition, he decided NOT to nominate any of the cabinet secretaries who had served with him in his previous presidency.
The Inaugural Parade and Presidential Balls gave a whole new beginning to his second presidency.
The historians have EVEN given him TWO presidential numbers!
45 and 47?
Nope.
22nd and 24th.
Meet Grover Cleveland - President-elect, President, former President, President-elect, President and then finally former President, AGAIN!
Move forward,though the road is rough,anticipate unexpected successes and fail forward.
Your next success is just around the corner.
Happy Presidential Inauguration week.
More later,
Den
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