Two Kinds of Blues

It's no secret I've had a touch of the blues lately. For good reasons, but they're also probably mixed with a little seasonal affective disorder. 

Why do I think this? Well, today I watched a brilliant sunset from my office window, and it was...5:25. Yeah! The sun didn't set until after 5 today and the light lingered, in a way that it only does when the days start to get a little longer. On our shortest days, it's like it sinks immediately. I felt better driving home tonight. 

But. 

That could have also been the awesome (blue-state-heavy) events that took place today. Like Wan, I think future generations will ask us where we were on the day we inaugurated the first black president. 

I was at work, but we had canceled our meetings and camped out in our conference room, where we have a projection screen. We ate doughnuts and laughed and cried as we watched the events unfold. I loved in particular the very human moments--the oath getting messed up, the Reverend Lowery, who resembled a Muppet, but moved me to tears nonetheless, the Obama children taking pictures and giving thumbs-up to their dad. The multicultural awareness without being overbearing--come on, Aretha, Yitzhak, Yo-Yo--it was like, hey, we're all here. We all want this. It doesn't matter if we're white, black, Asian, Christian, Jewish, or our middle name is Hussein. Those things have never mattered much to me, but I think it's a great model for people to see, who aren't quite so educated or open-minded. (Rick Warren being the sole bad call, in my mind.)

I was moved by all the people on the Mall, maybe not united in every approach, but united in wanting a better future for this country, agreeing that this man is the best person to lead us out of this quagmire. 

I am proud that I was part of this. I'm proud that if I have children, it will no longer be a strange or exceptionally moving for them to elect someone other than an old white guy into our highest office. I want it to be normal. I hope that the same will be true for a woman, by the time they turn 18. 

I hope, too, that future presidents take a key from Obama. His class, his style, his complete refusal to give in to the shit-talking that happens so often with politics. It's going to pull him through the pressure of being the first black president, the pressure of trying to right what's been so deeply wrong for eight years. It's a big job.

I just saw parts of Beyonce's interview, given after she sang "At Last" for the Obamas. her complete lack of PR touched me. She cried, she rambled, she didn't have a pat answer ready. She said she feels like this was fated to happen. She said, "He makes me want to be smarter. He makes me want to be more involved. And I am here! And I am singing! And I am overwhelmed!" And I cried. 

Because he makes us want to be a better generation. He makes us want to be better people. Not by telling us so, but by leading by example. Today a lot of people felt very invested in wanting to be here. We are all singing. 

Did you hear that, future hypothetical children? Today we are singing, because in this really dark winter, we finally feel like we've elected the people's representative. And for the first time in eight long, awful years, we feel like we have a fighting chance.