Yes We Did.

He said it best.

Yesterday Newman, Gail, Ty, Chet and I crowded under the store television to watch Barack Obama replace George Bush as the 44th president of the United States. We all heard there would be crowds, possibly millions, to watch his speech. Somehow, it still seemed fake, penciled-in (or whatever the fancy digital equivalent would be) to see that stretch of humans, all there for one person, all facing the same direction, all accepting the cold and crowd in order to be a part of his inauguration. Because of that it felt like our inauguration, as if we all stepped up to the podium and acknowledged our own responsibility in pulling each other, every other different American, out of this sludge of a mess we're in, financially, morally, diplomatically. Thinking forward and imagining his voice coming over the radio, week after week, for the next four years, is reassuring in itself. He is thoughtful, well-spoken, fair, and pragmatic. And, he's now our president. He inspires us to look forward, to accept what has happened in eight years for what it is, but to focus on the solutions, on real and sustainable solutions. Can we actually move past partisan politics in exchange for more results? It almost seems possible today.

I did drink too much whisky last night in celebration. I didn't intend to, but it certaintly happened. But, being in the house and watch President Obama dance with our new First Lady, with all our damn creatures, and Molly, and good friends, was a fuzzy perfect. It was. And, now, in this new world, and I really do believe it's a new world today, I want to hang an American flag from our porch and go to city council meetings and read the news and get back to being a citizen, something that is once again valued and appreciated, no matter what small town or big city you belong to. We've been given not only hope but agency and vision. We've been spoken to as capable adults rather than scared children. We were respecfully told the hard truth rather than padded falsehoods. And, we're still listening.

Thank you, America! Yes we can. Yes we did. And yes we will. I am so proud of this country today, so proud to be an American. We've gotten our country back and we have it more than we ever have.