Taking a Break From My Usual Sarcasm and Cynicism...

Y’all know I don’t do cold. There aren’t enough layers in the world to keep me warm enough then the temperature drops below 40 degrees. Despite this, yesterday I braved the cold to go see the “We are One” concert and - here’s the surprising part - I’m really glad I did.

Quite a few of you know I’m not the biggest Obama fan. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and beliefs, and mine don’t align with Obama’s. Immediately following the election, I was given a very hard time by some of my liberal friends, coworkers, and family for how I voted, which I found to be tasteless and inappropriate. I wondered how we would ever be able to unite and move forward as a nation when many in the winning party couldn’t even politely communicate with individuals whose beliefs differed from theirs. I’m glad to see that in the past few weeks a lot of this has been put aside.

Being an “Obama-mania” outsider, I didn’t know what to expect yesterday. Would the crowd be rowdy and riled up? Would DCPD be able to control everyone and keep people safe? As most of my experience with large crowds has been at concerts and Mardi Gras, I’ve learned to plan for the worst and hope for the best, full well knowing the “best case” scenario will never happen. I was astounded by what I encountered when I arrived at the mall. People were very excited, but also very considerate of those around them. Yes, it was very crowded, yes, I got pushed out of the way and stepped on from time to time, but this physical contact was almost always immediately followed by an apology. Moreover, I finally saw firsthand Obama’s effect on people. While I remain to be inspired by his speeches, I couldn’t help but be impressed by how much hope he gave his followers. Even cynics and skeptics are warming up to him. At this point in time, our nation needs someone to rally behind – and it looks like Obama will be that individual. America can’t afford a failure right now, so here’s hoping…

And, yes, the rumors are true. I’m one of the “lucky ones” with a ticket tomorrow. So along with hoping for the success of our nation, let’s hope I don’t catch something from being out in the cold all day!