Damn Right, We Can!

I just finished watching Barack Obama's acceptance speech on youtube for the 3rd time today. Every time I watch it, I feel the impact of what happened last night a little harder. I get chills. I tear up, and I thank God that I am alive to witness such a monumental day.

As I waited in line to vote yesterday morning, I watched the kids running into school waving goodbye to their parents, holding hands with their best friends, and just being young and happy. I started to think about how important the day was, and how much this means to their future. What kind of breakthrough will they be voting for in the years to come? It was intense.

This country has matured so much, and I am so proud of us. Of course, there's a lot of work to be done, but we are making progress, and I feel safe. I feel that Obama will listen to us, and will make decisions that will protect us. I trust him.

For the past couple of weeks, I've been negative. I've been afraid of something horrible happening, that would just set us back further. What if someone hurts him? Would it destroy all that we've accomplished?

We all know how Presidents get treated. What happens when the bliss fades and supporters are let down? Will we continue to respect President Obama, or will he be just another president that we can't wait to push out of office?

The fact is that I have to take it one day at a time, and believe in Americans. Trust that we have the patience and faith to make this country a better place. I have to say, last night was reassuring and I'm not scared anymore. The unity and celebration was off the charts.

It was like the Red Sox winning the World Series or New Years Eve. We tried to hit up the Obama gala at Century City Plaza, but there were so many people, the fire marshal stopped letting people in. People were honking and hanging out of cars yelling in victory.

We decided to make our way to Hollywood, and a usually busy area, was silent and quite desolate as we listened to Obama's acceptance speech on the radio - looking for parking. This was the moment that hit me the most. I felt a feeling similar to that of September 11th, but without the sadness.

It was quiet, an eerie silence, and as we drove down the street I noticed people huddled around TVs in bars and stores, hanging on to every word this amazing man had to say. On September 11th, I remember we invited the mailman into our apartment to watch the news reports. Although, it was so frightening and heart-crushing, there was an overwhelming sense of togetherness. That togetherness is what I felt last night.

Jennifer, Maryam and I were talking about how we've never seen excitement like this for a political candidate. I mean, we were at a club, dancing, drinking champagne, and people were chanting "Obama" and "Yes We Can" on the dance floor. I'll never forget it.