One of Those Days You’ll Remember

Source: http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/new_official_portrait_released/

I got to spend my morning today looking at some beautiful Artist Books from the cage at the Decker Library and watching Barack Obama get sworn in as the 44th President of the United States with 200 or so friends in Falvey Hall. My hopes are high; seeing people so excited and so emotionally affected by the Inauguration makes me optimistic for what the next 4 years may hold. I do not agree whole-heartedly with the man politically, and I frankly am glad that no one has ever put as much faith in me as half the country has already put in him, but he has a real chance to actually unite this country, get (young) people involved in their communities and their government, and even change the way the rest of world perceives the United States.

Whether or not he can enact real change in Washington remains to be seen; frankly I am not putting my money on it. However, he has already shown he has the ability to inspire people. As overused as the words may be, I truly feel a sense of hope from the people I saw on television in D.C. today, optimistic curiosity from some of the “realistic” (read: ever-cynical) people around me, excitement from many young people for whom politics has been nothing more than fodder for Saturday Night Live and the like. If the country is truly going to change, it is going to be from the bottom up, and I can already see it happening.

I am proud to call Barack Obama my president. Good luck sir, Lord knows you’ll need it.