It was on the National Mall, while being squished on all sides by about two million people with icicles for toes, that we caught a glimpse of world peace.
What's that? Did I just hear a sigh of desperation? Well, get ready to break out into a chorus of sighs because this is going to be one of those dramatic recounts. Ahem. Maybe I should start at the beginning.
On January 20, 2009, we woke up earlier than any human should every have to wake up and joined the masses in the journey to the Capitol. Across Washington, D.C., we trudged, and to the law's house we went. There were cheers in the air and smiles on our faces as we walked, walked some more, and then walked a bit more. We waited in line, and waited some more, and then just for kicks waited a bit more. We were excited, really excited, and I mean really excited.
We watched as important political figures and celebrities flashed across JumboTrons. We laughed lightheartedly as the former President flashed his goofy smile, but part of us still remembered that it would be his mess we'd be cleaning up.
We waited.
He arrived.
When we saw Barack Obama's face on that screen for the first time, it was like a parent coming home to a house full of kids who couldn't wait to see him, to talk to him, to tell him how our days had gone, how our stomachs hurt, or how our brothers had been teasing us. We knew he wasn't perfect, but neither were we. We knew not everyone loved him, but we were confident that he could do his job.
We didn't think he was Jesus, or Allah, or Jehovah, or Abraham Lincoln. We just knew he'd be a good president.
Then, when it was time for him to become official, we watched with bated breath. Barack Obama, the first African-American to be elected president of the United States of America, put his hand on a Bible and became our leader. The manner in which he was led through his oath of office made us chuckle and glance around, wondering if others knew who had really messed up. Nevertheless, we respected them both just the same.
We listened to his message. We heard his forcefulness, his determination, his hope, and his realistic warnings. We heard how he reached out to other nations while still defending our own.
When it was all over, we looked around at each other and thought, "So this is what it feels like to be united." At that moment, all of us loved and supported the same man, and we supported each other. There was no hostility or violence or ill will. There was just hope. Corny, cliché, repetitive, gritty, real hope. Though the rest of the country may have been divided, at that moment we were one seamless mind, investing ourselves in the hope he had restored in us.
Hope. It was that new beginning, fresh start, learn from the past without dwelling on it feeling. Will you join us?
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