I have not done this for quite some time now. Sometimes the everyday demands of life tend to become priorities that cannot be ignored and outlets like this get lost in the process. Not today. Today is a day for new hope and cautious optimism.
I am not so naive to believe that everything is going to be blissfully wonderful going forward, but I am not ashamed to say that when Barack Obama took the oath of office today, I felt a very real sense of relief. Those who know me also tend to know about my disdain for the outgoing administration. Being one who loves the natural beauty of my home state of Utah and one who firmly believes there are places that should be saved because we would all be poorer without them, the environmental record of our now former president often left me in dismay. Add to that the war in Iraq, the seeming disregard of the middle class, and the tragic results of inadequate oversight of the financial world and I was more than ready for a dramatic change in direction. I hope and believe that Obama's presidency will be that change.
If nothing else, Obama's campaign and election has shown that normal people can have a say in what happens in this country. It seems to me that many people who had avoided the political process in the past took a chance with a man who inspired hope that things could be different. Now, while I have no illusions that this one event will forever change politics in this country, I do believe it is a start.
I could go on, and I may on another day, but I think I will end today by simply saying that I feel like I have awakened to find the storm clouds have lifted and the world has subtly changed. I look forward with excitement, and not a little trepidation, to the days to come, but deep inside I sense that, with time, things will get better.
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