I Am Hopeful

Although I was a bit behind the American populous, I finally got around to listening to the speech President Obama's gave following his Presidential oath. And I must say, that as I let it linger in my brain while also listening to The Beatles' "Imagine" and searching for good car deals online, I am incredibly hopeful. In the midst of everything falling apart our nation retained a competent, capable new leader, I personally landed a new job, opening up all kinds of new possibilities for me, and I now have the luxury of dreaming once more. I almost forgot what it was like.

...Have you ever read Douglas Adam's 'The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy?' Well... this will be a stretch if you haven't, but (CJ, you'd REALLY enjoy this one! Try it!) I'll give it a shot: As I was looking for my potential future car while also listening to the elegant, powerful words of President Obama, the surrealness of it all crept up on me, and I slowly realized I was dreaming of exciting possibilities in the future, for our nation and for myself. Much like Aurthur (in Adam's trilogy) realized he was flying... Aurthur explains, however, that as soon as you realize you are flying, you start to fall! The more you think about flying, the more you lose your balance - or flight, as it were - and gravity kicks back in again. You must focus on not flying, and soon you will find yourself in the air again, wafting higher and higher. Well, until you bump into a floating building, of course. In any case, I'll simply sit back and search for my potential future car, smile in the wonder of such a fantastic moment and the beauty expressed by an excellent speech writer, and enjoy the moment. Not focusing on how unreal this moment is, of course, because if I think about it too much, it might slip between my fingers. I am simply grateful for this moment, unaware of how it is possible that it is happening, and hopeful. Hopeful that tomorrow will carry the same blessings I have found today. And the day after that. And the day after that. Amen.

Cat Stevens - Moonshadow
Today I am a elephant (because they're cute, and flap their ears, not because they're huge) and (while we're being hopeful) a mug of white chocolate cocoa, topped with whipped cream with zero calories/zero sugar and a cherry on top. Make that three cherries. One can never have too many.