‘This Country Is a Very Sad Place. Please Do Something Fun. Wear a Tie-Dye Shirt and Shorts to Something Important’
President Barack Obama, as he often does, responded to a letter he received, from an 8-year old girl. Lily, whose father is in the Air Force, wrote the Commander-in-Chief to share her thoughts – and suggestions.
“I think this country needs more spunk,” Lily told the President right off the bat. “With all the attacks, the Zika virus, and the wars, this country is a very sad place,” she declared.
“Please do something fun. Wear a tie-dye shirt and shorts to something important. Go on a water skiing trip in the Caribbean. Take your family to Disney World. Do something fun and out going,” she suggested.
“Also, please say something that will make everyone calm. You do know know how many politics worries I have,” Lily told the leader of the free world, echoing the thoughts, no doubt, of millions.
She shared that she is his “biggest fan,” and that her dad is “in the Air Force and that inspired me to have my back up job be President,” although Lily confessed her “dream job is cardiovascular surgeon.”
Lily apparently gives Obama two thumbs-up: “Keep running the country!,” she requests.
President Obama, who’s seen as a terrific father himself, and who often seems to be carrying and playing with young children, offered a very thoughtful response.
“I can tell you’ve got plenty of spunk to help keep our Nation strong!,” Pres. Obama told Lily in a letter on White House stationery.
Saying he was a bit unsure about how Michelle Obama or his daughters “would feel about me wearing a tie-dye shirt in public,” the President shared, “I do know that one of my greatest responsibilities as President is ensuring your generation can thrive — and that includes making sure you can live in safety and reach for boundless opportunity.”
“I know things happening around the world can sometimes be worrisome, but we can make real and lasting progress if young people like you focus on growing and learning and keep speaking out about important challenges our Nation faces,” President Obama told Lily. “As long as I serve in this Office and beyond, I’ll continue fighting to ensure kids all across our country are limited by nothing but the scope of their imaginations and the size of their dreams.”
He signed the letter, “Your friend, Barack Obama.”
Lily will likely have the best “What I Did Over Summer Vacation” essay to write when she goes back to school.
Read both letters in full below:
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Via: The White House/Medium