Yes We Did!

I have a cold. Not a wonderful way to spend a day in South Florida, or anywhere for that matter, but I really didn't want to be sick today. I wanted to revel. I wanted to gloat. I wanted to make fun of the Dumbass in Chief who was finally exiting the world stage and I wanted to heckle his "Dr. Evil"-clone in a wheelchair, sad excuse for a vice-president. (Didn't he look like Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove?) I wanted a clear head when I heard intelligence from a political leader for the first time in years. I didn't want to miss a moment of history-and this is coming from an outsider; a stranger in a strange land, who crashed the party, uninvited.

Today I witnessed elegance. Today I saw humanity. Today I engaged in dialogue and rational thought. Today I saw generations weep for those who weren't here, and those who were yet to come. Today I was an observer to true bipartisanship; and today I saw true believers. It may sound corny and it may sound trite, but today I saw a man become an icon and an entire world transformed by his grace.

I have never before seen anything like today. I was not around for the last transformative leader. I was an infant when he and his kind exited this world with so much left incomplete. I have lived through a time of great excess and selfishness, a time of intolerance and a time of greed. My generation has usurped its authority. Today, we were reminded of our responsibilities. Today, we remembered that we need to be more engaged and more involved. Today we know that divisiveness and pettiness and ridiculous partisan behaviour needs to be consigned to the dustbins of history, in favour of cooperation and compromise. Today we saw the beginning. It won't be easy. He is not a messiah, he is just a man. But, he is a man with ideas-ideas that deserve to be heard and attempted. He is a man with an intellectual creativity that is astounding, and he is a man who has a genuine affinity for family, without resorting to using them as props.

So, today with my nose weighing about 10 pounds, surrounded by my Kleenex, Sudafed, Vicks lozenges and Chloroseptic, I spent 15 hours on the couch watching every move, every speech, every band and every dance. I debated her dress with my friend and I laughed at the lack of attention of the young girls. I was appalled by the poet laureate (WTF?) and I was reaffirmed by the brilliance that is Aretha. I tolerated the pundits and I even watched Fox News for a few minutes to laugh at their pessimism. (Today was not the day for pessimism!) Today, I actually didn't mind being sick, because I was totally captivated. Tomorrow, the real work begins.