I believe that the journey is just as important as the destination, as is reflected in one of my favorite quotes by author J.R.R. Tolkein. Sit back and enjoy as I wander through life, keeping in mind that Not All Who Wander Are Lost!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

No way to avoid being cliché: YES WE DID!

This guy is our President?!?!?!

My friends, welcome to a new America! I can't saw how totally thrilled, how tear-evokingly happy, how gleeful and proud I am to be able to say President Obama.

It has been said, re-said, and re-re-said, but this was definitely an Election for the history books. Personally, it became real for me when Obama spoke in Denver. That was probably the first time he brought tears to my eyes with one of his speeches. I will also carry with me the memory of Election Night; the feeling of walking on water as everything went right, all the pieces fell into places, and this lovely well-spoken man glided toward the presidency.

So now having Obama around is not something we have to fight for, hope for, or work towards - it's real. He's ours, he and his lovely family are sitting in the White House, and he is changing our country. I still can't shake the feeling that it's real - it's like that moment when you first wake up, hoping your last dream won't fade away... except that it's not a dream, it's reality, and he's not going anywhere.

Now, I'm not going to argue politics. I'm not going to say to the grumbling conservatives that they had their damn 8-years in power, and look where they left us. I'm not going to hope the door kicks Bush and Cheney on their way out. I'm not going to do any of that. I'm going to look to the future.

In history class this week, my teacher, in his classic attempt to be thought-provoking asked us if we're really headed toward something new, toward a change or a new era. Some nay-sayers in the class said no, some who wouldn't have voted for Obama grumbled, and some were too sleepy to even acknowledge the question, but I'm not going to have my bubble burst.

Because whatever Obama has to fight... whatever Washington D.C. corruption and lobbying that comes his way and stays the same... whatever he's up against, I truly feel like this time, this round of the fight against it all, is going to be different. Why? Because we're all with him. We've joined the fight.

Some say that Obama is only going to disappoint because he can't exact all the change he's promised. But see, that's just it! Sure, maybe he can't, but WE can. If there's anything this election proved, it's that when people come together - when those darn community organizers (*sticks tongue out at Sarah Palin*) come together and do their job, well, that's pretty darn powerful.

Now, I don't know what the future holds; what Obama will or won't do, or where we'll be in four years when we go through all this election-madness again, but I know where we are now. We're one step closer to closing Gitmo. We're moving toward a policy of openness. We. We are doing it. We are in power again. And Obama is leading us forward.

And I also know what I saw on the day of the Inauguration. I know that my entire school ceased to function, as what seemed like every student in the school crowded around the TV in the Senior Lounge, and occupied literally every surface in the Student Center where they were also broadcasting the day's events. I know that people laughed and cried. I know that millions stood in the cold simply to be there. I know what Obama said, I know that we seem to have Camelot 2.0 in the absolutely gorgeous Michelle and the phenomenally cute Melia and Sashaaaa (*cue the jazz hands*), and god damn, I know that our President can dance.

But most of all, I know that we have hope again. We the people of the United States of America have been empowered, and we have been given a unique opportunity. Yes, this was an Election for the history books, but I think this is also a moment, a president, and above all, a united generation of individuals headed straight for those history books.

Now, I'm not religious, but for right now, I mean it when I proudly say, God Bless our President, and God Bless America.

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