| As I sit here in my hotel room thinking of words to describe how I feel, I can only come up with one word: exhausted. The road to this state of mind was a long and exciting one and felt like many days actually put into one. We awoke at four this morning (only an hour after we had gone to sleep) and headed out toward D.C not to much later . Once we arrived we were met by swarms of people waiting in winding lines to enter the national mall. Surprisingly, waiting in line didn't take very long and before we knew it...we were marking our plot for the opening ceremonies. The only problem was that it was eight in the morning, and the concert didn't start until two-thirty. With no shelter in sight, I wondered what I could possibly do during this long period of time to keep my self occupied and warm. It seemed like the latter of the two desires was the hardest to maintain, about an hour into waiting I felt like my feet had frozen and disconnected from my body. As we all sat in a massive circle trying to maintain warmth, I laughed at the idea that although we were surrounded by thousands of people it only felt like us. After searching for hot chocolate and warmth pads the hours seemed to pass by and before I knew it was time for the concert to begin. I was not at all ready for what we experienced next. I had no idea that the ceremony would be full of such historic information and celebrity guest. From Jamie Fox, Denzel Washington, Mary J. Blige, U2, Sheryl Crow, Beyonce, Tom Hanks, Usher, Stevie Wonder, Queen Latifah and many more, the event was star studded. The crowd went crazy as the performers took the stage and a wave of excitement hit the mall when Obama said a short, but eloquent speech. It was everything that we could have wanted and made the waiting all worth while. The day continued with a three mile walk to the bus and dinner at Chilli's. The day, that was trying and sometimes hard to get through, had the ultimate payoff when we got to experience a concert of a lifetime and a ceremony that I will tell my children and grandchildren about for years to come. It was today when Obama hit the stage that the true severity of what we are here to experience hit me. It was at that moment that I realized how big this moment is and how monumental it will forever be in history and in my life. As he addressed the crowd I was both proud of him and all of the millions of people that came out to support him. There are no words to describe the level of emotion that hit me as the program continued. This day will definitely be one that I will remember for the rest of my life. |
I can agree with you. Initially, I downplayed the idea of this being historical, simply because I was a part of it. I couldn't envision being seen as a part of something that will be go down in history - one of our nation's biggest landmark accomplishments, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteWitnessing the "We Are One" event today was not only a reminder of the humility of celebrities and the Obamas, but it was a reassurance of the dreams of so many of our countries forefathers and great leaders. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Lincoln, specifically.
I would say more, but u captured it. lol
I am so jealous of you! I wish I could have partaken in the inauguration ceremonies! I can't even imagine what it must have felt like to actually be there. Watching the swarms of people that were there in support of Obama was heart-warming. Even watching the different varieties of performances gave insight into the wide range of people that Obama has impacted. Although you were clearly cold at points..lol.. your blog seemed to efficiently capture how much this event meant to you and will continue to resonate with you considering you were part of history!
ReplyDeleteI also would like to add that I chuckled at your statement "searching for hot chocolate" because I know how much you adore that beverage..lol..However I am glad that you enjoyed your experience, but hurry up and come back because I miss you! :)