January 20th, 2009

The sun rose as it always did, noticed dimly through the unrelenting cloud cover. People rose from their beds, showered, dressed, and ate hurried breakfasts before moving on to what jobs were still available. People put on heavy coats against the lingering chill of years past, and cameramen checked their gear alongside optimistic teens checking cell and camera phones. A handful of paranoid mountain men hopped in their pickups and made one last run to pawn and gun shops, convinced that they would not get a second chance. Somewhere, a journalist snarled and lit a cigarette in the same city that a gay couple sat holding hands in front of a television. At exactly ten o'clock mountain time, in one small corner of the internet, a timer finally hit zero, winked off, and was forgotten.

Change was in the air.

Say what you will about Governor Bush, the Boy King. It matters not what we thought of the decisions made or the motions passed in recent years, as at this juncture we have nothing to gain from casting blame or pointing fingers. The past is past, and all that matters now is how to move on, to thrive yet again in the face of certain peril.

A sea of color and smiling faces radiates from the capitol, still thick at the base of the Washington Monument about a mile away, the likes of which some have never seen, and aren't likely to see again. People of different races and creeds, both young and old, the well-to-do rubbing shoulders with the barely-getting-by. Americans, all. The rumbling of the celebratory cannons is still only distant thunder under the wave of cheers of these people gathered.

Elected in a time of crisis beyond the botched war that has taken so much, the President is not naive about the task set before him. This has marked itself as a historical time, not by chance of race, but by the sudden awakening of people long comfortable with the niche, the groove they had been worn into and the holes they would otherwise be buried in. We have long descended into a hell of our own making, through our tolerance for selfishness and our willingness to be led. Long ago, a wise man told me that no one really wants to hear the truth. This day, I happily saw the people of this nation prove a wise man wrong.

It is humbling to hold witness to a speaker of this nature, a man who captures and holds your attention in spite of yourself. They have been around, I understand, but in my lifetime I have not born witness to such a man before today. He speaks of unity, of joining together as the world falls apart. He speaks of how far we've come, the acts of greatness that history has shown us to be capable of. Can I tell you how much fear is in me? Can I convey how my hope swells with each uninterrupted word? The task before us is what it is, and it is, to say the least, daunting. The President (and how long has it been since I've proudly been able to use that word respectfully!) meets the future before us on his feet, unflinching, and smiling.

This is a pivotal time in our history. We have existed through crisis before and succeeded. We must do so again. For too long we have segregated ourselves, pitting ourselves again “them”, whoever they might be this week. Neighbors have been wary to join hands with one another, simply on foolish notions such as sexual orientation, class, or race. We have become the United Selves of America, and it has brought us to the very brink of ruin. Now, at long last, we have a chance to redefine ourselves in the light of the world, to be something different in the eyes of our brothers across nations.

I am honored by the chance to see such a change in my lifetime. These will be the days we look back upon and smile, and I cannot wait to tell my children of the days to come.