I'm 43 years old, and never in my life have I felt such an undercurrent of optimism as I do today. Across the nation and the world, people of all walks of life have somehow found a fissure in the rock of hopelessness to awake today and believe anything is possible.
Just yesterday, a group of black teens from a local youth home appeared unheralded to my mother's place. She's 85 years old (and still mentally and physically as strong as folks 1/3 of her age), and lives in an elderly complex. That morning, about 10 inches of snow had fallen, and these young men cleared each and every car in the lot. They wouldn't take so much as a cup of hot chocolate.
The facility that houses these kids lived has been in my hometown for 50 years. But not once had I seen them perform any sort of service project, planned or spontaneous. But on this day, when Barack Obama was performing service himself and preaching his "no idle hands" message, it's clear to see that we have a chance to change the course of this nation. In fact, we've always had the chance and the power, but today it seems that the forces are coming together to see it through.
No matter what you think of Barack, no matter your specific views on the very complicated issue, focus on the renewed sense of possibility today brings. And remember this: liberals and conservatives may disagree greatly on what to do, but they agree completely on what they want the end result to be: a better America for everyone.
Now, go to work.
Comments