Dear Mr. Trump

With these first few carefully selected words, you will instantly become aware that this letter is unlike any other you may have seen. Most people are very upset with you right now and, dare I say, may even hate you. Their letters will be crass, judgmental, and riddled with contempt. At this point, given what has transpired only in the most recent of days, it's safe to say you could be one of the most despised beings in the country!

But, don't worry. I understand.

In this letter I will not curse your existence nor itemize your failures. Instead, I will assure you that there is at least one person who truly "gets you".

You see, I know who you are, Donald. I know that your mindset, beliefs, actions, thoughts, and energy are all the culmination of how you grew up, your experiences in life, lessons you've learned, emotions you feel, environmental factors, stress, and so much more. The experiences of your life have shaped who you are and have contributed largely to the person we've seen in office for the past four years. We can judge you all we want but the bottom line is none of us know exactly how we will react to any situation until we are actually in the situation.

It's not my place to say whether the way you've run this country while serving your term is right or wrong. After all, I have zero political experience and even less interest in it. I couldn't dream of what a fraction of wielding that sort of power is like. I am a citizen, however, and I have some sense of what I believe to be right or wrong based on my life and where I come from, but we're not here to discuss me. In fact, you may not share my beliefs at all, so to raise them here is a moot point.

At the end of the day, from my perspective, the taxpayers of this country rallied together as best they could to get you in office over your rival only four short years ago, and they were victorious. They believe they made the right choice, regardless of the reasoning behind it. And according to them, they're right. Their counterpoint's also believe themselves to be right about your cockups while in office. When both sides have opposing view but they both believe their side to be right, what do you do?

I'll leave that question for you to ponder. In the interim, know that I understand one thing and one thing only: you. are. human. You are who you are and you are where you are in life. Whether we agree or not and whether we like it or not, no one can expect you to suddenly be different than you are. It is impossible. You did what you thought was the best thing to do in every situation you were faced with and, again, whether your decision (or lack thereof) is right or wrong is not for me to decide. It is understandable, however, if one is able to be objective, to see that you are simply being who you are.

It's quite possible that your presence in office, and the decisions you've made (or didn't make), were somehow—if even in the most miniscule of ways—important to the growth and evolution of us as a country. We may not be entirely sure how yet—because many of us are still blinded by rage—but I can assure you that this moment in history can be monumental to how this country recovers, if we allow it.

I'm not sure what your emotions are as you prepare to exist the spotlight but I hope that no matter what happens as you progress in life after presidency, that you do what people like me have learned to do, especially over the last year: Stay Positive!

-Meg