and that magical night in november 2008 when we watched more than just history being made. we had a country filled with hope for our future. sure there were the naysayers - there always are. but i remember being at a friend's home watching the early election returns. the first states coming in red and making us all a bit nervous. yes, virtually everyone i know voted for obama. hearing keith olbermann announce obama our 44th president was truly a magical moment. i remember earlier that day standing on line at 6am in the darkness and running into so many parents i know each accompanied by their children. the belief that change was a possibility and hoping it was a probability was electric. throughout the day this was the only topic of conversation. sneaking peaks at cnn to witness the lines of voters in so many parts of the country kept the belief that obama would win alive.
change was coming. 8 years of stupid was gone. we had a president who was smart, affable, and well-liked. that alone was change i could believe in. but what did he inherit? a mess beyond comprehension. do i wish as i sit here a year and a half later that the economy was better, that wars were over, and that unemployment not as large? yes, of course. but do i also feel the rest of the world doesn't hate us anymore and that black and white people in this country and the world have an amazing role model? without question.
i'm that loser who has kept his acceptance speech on the dvr. and i still get teary-eyed when i watch it. he's inspiring and when i need a little inspiration, obama's yes we can hits the spot. ok, so i'm not that blind to what hasn't happened since obama became president. we all knew he wasn't perfect and it would all take time, but there is no question in my mind that had mccain/palin won we'd be in much worse shape.
wwcd: still believes that change is coming, just a little slower than i hoped
the experience of sorting through the terrible inside stories that he now truly knows, the exhaustion of constant pressures against every move he makes like walking against a very strong current, the way his own words are turning against him almost as soon as they leave his lips, have all been his daily task and yet i still see the same barack obama. he tries to meet ALL his obligations. he makes every effort to keep things out in the open even when it feeds all his detractors and offers the press more dirt to throw at him. he continues to take one disaster after another as a simple part of his responsibility and still works towards more equitable, fair, just, open government.
ReplyDeletei do not wish to go back -- i am glad the pus is being cleansed from the terrible infection -- even while some of the bacteria still ferments.
i was getting my certification to teach yoga on election day and night. the air fairly crackled with heart energy. we stayed up listening to NPR -- the radio -- cheering, chanting and crying. we watched the states and their projections via computer, and sat in meditation, our breath sustaining us even as tempted as we were to hold our breath as the numbers swayed.
thanks for reminding me of much of an honor it is to be a voting member of a continuously reinvented democracy
from aunt judy:
ReplyDeleteI agree with u 100%...although we seem to be the minority........my shortest response ever.