History

I don't know that I even have words to talk about what I just watched. I've spent the morning watching the live coverage of Barack Obama's inauguration. While I will admit that the last couple of days have seemed a little excessive in terms of 24 hour news coverage, I can't believe that in a matter of minutes we went from time filling factoids (Obama hates coffee, but collect comic books, etc) to a truly monumental time in history.

It seems surreal that less than an hour ago, a man that would at one time not have been allowed to vote was just sworn in as President. This election has been momumental in many ways and it struck me today that when our baby is born in May, he/she will never have a concept of a time when the office was an office that had only been held by white men. The fact that our country embraced diversity in terms of ethnicity and gender in this election season is one of the most valuable parts of this election for me. I agree with Obama on many of his policies and visions, but I am even more proud to live in a country that fought so bitterly of policies during the primary and election, yet came together to support a historic transition.

Part of me is sad that I spent this historic moment at home alone watching what seemed like a very global moment. At the same time, even when my internet kicked me off Twitter and Facebook, I still felt an odd sense of the country standing still. Even moments before the ceremony was set to take place, I was contemplating running up to campus so I could experience this moment with other people. I was too afraid of missing it to actually go anywhere, but I was shocked at how connected I felt even alone in my living room. I hope this sense of unity is something that doesn't wane in the coming hours and days.

I know that there are still those who will fail to recognize the true value of this moment or will fault President Obama regardless of what he does, but I was moved by the humbleness and greatness of what I just watched.