Tuesday, January 20, 2009

At Last

President Barack Obama (LOLObama created by little gator, not to be confused with The Littlest Gator)

At Last

When was the last time you felt like grown-ups were in charge of the country?

When did you last trust authority? I'm not talking about Questioning Authority -- for me and my cohort, at least, that's still a daily practice of rationality. But trust?

For me, it was when I voted for Bill Clinton as President, Ann Richards as Governor, and Glen Maxey (an out gay male liberal) as my District Representative all on the same day, back in 1990. It was the first time in my life I'd voted for people I trusted who WON. I was 35 years old.

I trusted Bill about as much as I trust Barack now -- that is, with reservations about their clear stance to the right of center. My expectations are similar. But oh, what a relief those expectations are, in comparison.

A good life, and access to happiness, I believe comes from allowing myself to feel all the emotions as they come along. Grief, fear, anger, and despair, feel 'em and let 'em wash through. And joy, relief, security, connection -- feel that just as deeply. I'm going to spend the day letting myself Feel.

Plus maybe Chicago-style deep-dish pizza for dinner.