It hit me this morning. Driving in to work I tuned into The Takeaway on NPR and the host happened to choose, "What just happened?" as his opening question to guests and listeners. I asked myself the same question: What just happened?! My soul knew what my mind couldn't articulate. Tears welled up in my eyes. What just happened?!! Words still escape me. Fortunately, lyrics do not.


When you wish upon a star
Dreams will take you very far, yeah
When you wish upon a dream
Life ain't always what it seems, oh yeah
Once you see your light so clear
In the sky so very dear

You're a shining Star, no matter who you are
Shining bright to see what you can truly be*


Those tears were the release of a lifetime of managed expectations for myself and my country. My mother always reinforced that my brother and I could be, and do, whatever we set our minds to. And we believed -- for the most part. Age and experience applied the caveat that no parent really wants to admit. The fact that some doors were closed was not a deterrent, just a sprinkling of harsh reality mixed in with the fairy dust.

I don't want nobody to give me nothing
Open up the door, I'll get it myself
Don't give me no animation, give me true communication
Don't give me sorrow, give me equal opportunity**

I feel better!
I can smile at it now, I feel better
Ohhhh, better
And even a little is still better***

A few months ago while in line at a drug store I noticed a little girl, no older than eight, rifling through a magazine looking for (I presumed) the latest Miley Cyrus shenanigans. Her father, who was ahead of me at the counter, turned around and said the following: "It's time to go, that's enough politics for the day. You'll be happy if he wins." As she closed the magazine cover I noticed that it was not Teen Beat and Miley that had her rapt -- instead, it was Time and Barack Obama.

I believe that children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier...****

On November 4, 2008, my eighteen-year-old son voted in his very first presidential election.

*Shining Star: Earth Wind & Fire

**I Don't Want Nobody Giving Me Nothing: James Brown

***A Little Better: Gnarls Barkley

****The Greatest Love of All: George Benson