Sunny came over Tuesday night to share the experience of watching history unfold. As if history itself wasn't excitement enough, we took the opportunity to continue the comically tense process of introducing my 7-year-old Foo (the curmudgeon who doesn't like other dogs up in his grill) to 6-month-old Beans (the sweetie who insists on licking every dog's grill). I've seen a whole new scary grimace side of Foo during this process, but he definitely began to soften throughout the course of the evening. When Foo humped Beansy's face, I knew we were making real progress.
That wasn't the only progress in the air, and when ABC announced that Ohio went to Obama, I knew it was time to get ourselves to Grant Park. It was 9:00, and Sunny-full-of-pizza was already horizontal on my couch under a blanket and a snoozing Beans. It didn't look good. But, against the odds, Sunny and I were aboard the 56 bus headed downtown a mere 15 minutes later. Ten minutes after that, we were just two in a sea of humanity flowing down Michigan Avenue toward Grant Park.
Once inside the park, we could see the glow of the "ticket only" section where Obama would soon appear. For the remaining ticketless thousands, the city set up several jumbotrons adjacent to the big top. After choosing our spot, we used my annoying concert-going skills and Sunny's short stature to get ourselves up close and personal with jumbotron. All sorts flocked to the park that night, but the common thread were faces beaming looks of pride.
Except for the two Brits who happened to end up right next to and behind me. They'd apparently been down the pub for hours and were so shit-canned they couldn't stand upright, let alone maintain a facial expression of any kind beyond "gravity doing its job." I'm often a magnet for people with no sense of personal space. It was sort of funny in that "anything goes right now" kind of way... until something began repeatedly brushing against my ass. But, I let it go in the spirit of not letting drunken fools ruin the moment. Letting it slide was made easy as pie once Barack took the stage. The crowd went wild, the Brits managed a sincere cheer before stumbling away, and you've all heard the speech by now....
Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.
It felt good to be a part of this moment in history. It didn't fully hit me just how many people showed up for the rally until we were leaving the park and the sea of people flooded Michigan Avenue and every cross street. It was a sight to behold. I climbed barriers to get a better look and take photos, and I was truly stunned by the sheer numbers. I have never in my life been amongst so many people, and coupled with the election outcome, it was thrilling. Though whether you were sitting on your couch at home or surrounded by hundreds of thousands, I think it's safe to say that letting the moment sink in was electrifying.
Except for the two Brits who happened to end up right next to and behind me. They'd apparently been down the pub for hours and were so shit-canned they couldn't stand upright, let alone maintain a facial expression of any kind beyond "gravity doing its job." I'm often a magnet for people with no sense of personal space. It was sort of funny in that "anything goes right now" kind of way... until something began repeatedly brushing against my ass. But, I let it go in the spirit of not letting drunken fools ruin the moment. Letting it slide was made easy as pie once Barack took the stage. The crowd went wild, the Brits managed a sincere cheer before stumbling away, and you've all heard the speech by now....
Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.
It felt good to be a part of this moment in history. It didn't fully hit me just how many people showed up for the rally until we were leaving the park and the sea of people flooded Michigan Avenue and every cross street. It was a sight to behold. I climbed barriers to get a better look and take photos, and I was truly stunned by the sheer numbers. I have never in my life been amongst so many people, and coupled with the election outcome, it was thrilling. Though whether you were sitting on your couch at home or surrounded by hundreds of thousands, I think it's safe to say that letting the moment sink in was electrifying.
No comments:
Post a Comment