Disbelief
I had grand plans of getting work done this morning, but I just need to document some of this before I can go back to the real world. Too many thoughts are in my head, but I'll try to make this coherent.
I remember being at Tanglewood four summers ago, during the last presidential conventions, without much in the way of TV or internet. My family printed out the transcript of Obama's convention speech and sent it to me with a note saying something like, "You won't believe how amazing this is. Some junior senator from Illinois. Obama for President in '08?" And of course it was impossible, even while it was exciting.
For the past week I've felt the way I did when the Red Sox were in the world series. When they had three games under their belt, and headlines started whispering about impossible victory, and I wanted to explode because don't you understand that things like this don't happen? Especially not when stupid news headlines jinx it by predicting they'll happen? And then they do.
I was in the music lab working on the syllabus for today's creativity class. We were trying to stay focused, but of course we were checking news websites religiously. I was apprehensively optimistic on my walk home, not realizing that it had been officially called, until I saw fireworks being set off down the street. I sprinted the rest of the way home, where my flatmates were waiting with a bottle of wine. We were mostly silent and in awe as we watched the historic speech. I know that's going to be a buzz word for the next week or so, but that's exactly what this is.
I've come of age politically under an administration I don't believe in, one that I find frustrating and discouraging and alienating. I feel like I don't know how to conduct myself as a political adult under a government I trust to make positive changes, but I'm so excited to learn how that works. I have big expectations about energy and social policy, and I hope hope hope that we can work towards these goals.
Seven years ago, I remember understanding for the first time when newspaper headlines are written for generations to come. I couldn't handle headlines on September 12th, when I could already imagine those front pages appearing in history textbooks. It was such a different sensation to see the New York Times headline last night and have the same feeling of history textbooks, and to feel proud that I have my own story to tell about this moment.
I also hope that some who don't support Obama right now can understand why we're excited. The ugly part about politics of course is that not everyone agrees. But I hope people realize that this is bigger than tax cuts. And let's hope too that after 8 years of brutal partisanship that some of these promises about compromise come true.
So today, congratulations to all of us.
I remember being at Tanglewood four summers ago, during the last presidential conventions, without much in the way of TV or internet. My family printed out the transcript of Obama's convention speech and sent it to me with a note saying something like, "You won't believe how amazing this is. Some junior senator from Illinois. Obama for President in '08?" And of course it was impossible, even while it was exciting.
For the past week I've felt the way I did when the Red Sox were in the world series. When they had three games under their belt, and headlines started whispering about impossible victory, and I wanted to explode because don't you understand that things like this don't happen? Especially not when stupid news headlines jinx it by predicting they'll happen? And then they do.
I was in the music lab working on the syllabus for today's creativity class. We were trying to stay focused, but of course we were checking news websites religiously. I was apprehensively optimistic on my walk home, not realizing that it had been officially called, until I saw fireworks being set off down the street. I sprinted the rest of the way home, where my flatmates were waiting with a bottle of wine. We were mostly silent and in awe as we watched the historic speech. I know that's going to be a buzz word for the next week or so, but that's exactly what this is.
I've come of age politically under an administration I don't believe in, one that I find frustrating and discouraging and alienating. I feel like I don't know how to conduct myself as a political adult under a government I trust to make positive changes, but I'm so excited to learn how that works. I have big expectations about energy and social policy, and I hope hope hope that we can work towards these goals.
Seven years ago, I remember understanding for the first time when newspaper headlines are written for generations to come. I couldn't handle headlines on September 12th, when I could already imagine those front pages appearing in history textbooks. It was such a different sensation to see the New York Times headline last night and have the same feeling of history textbooks, and to feel proud that I have my own story to tell about this moment.
I also hope that some who don't support Obama right now can understand why we're excited. The ugly part about politics of course is that not everyone agrees. But I hope people realize that this is bigger than tax cuts. And let's hope too that after 8 years of brutal partisanship that some of these promises about compromise come true.
So today, congratulations to all of us.