"...we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."
President Barack Obama, January 20, 2009
After a great deal of debate and procrastination, and a shockingly small amount of preparation, I declined to join my family on the National Mall this morning to be present when Barack Obama took the oath of office as President of the United States. I chose, instead, to make this day special for my children, neither of whom was really ready for the rigors of the cold and the crowds downtown. My husband took his mother on a mission to be as up close as personal as a person without a ticket could get. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law ventured out with characteristic ease to the closest Metro stop, bound on whatever the adventures of the day might bring. I brought my mother and daughters to the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse, which offered free viewing of the day's events on CNN. I was moved to tears on more than one occasion, having developed the ability to feel deep emotion while dishing out discipline to an almost-six-year-old jack-in-the-box. In the end, I think my mother and daughters appreciated the chance to experience this magnificent day seated and indoors. I am so ready to seize my difficult task gladly and humbly.
(Since I have not posted to the blog since the day after Election Day, I have now renamed it Lost in Transition.)
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