The election is finally over. While I feel a personal sense of relief that the calls and impromptu visits will now stop, I find myself sitting up a little bit straighter this morning.

I know we’ve lived though other historically significant moments, moments that will be felt and remembered for generations to come, but most of them seem to be associated with deep tragedy. While they all made us stronger (Pearl Harbor, 9/11, Katrina), they were events that begin in sadness.  Any pride that came from these events was pride in our response to them.  Americans have a way of banding together in a crisis, rolling up their sleeves and addressing what needs to be addressed that always makes me proud. 

Last night was different, however.  No matter who you voted for and how you feel about the president-elect, we have a right to feel prouder this morning for electing the first African-American as president of the United States. As a country, we walked the talk in a way we’ve never done before. Now, we really can say that every American-born child can grow up to be president.

Watching the crowds,  the exuberance of those in Chicago uplifted my soul.  The field was filled with over 125,000 people who, to me, truly reflected the diversity of the American people: white, black, young, old, rich, poor. All were touched by the magical moment they were living through.  The image that remains strongest for me today, and I suspect the one that I will carry into the future, was that of Rev. Jesse Jackson, quiet in the crowd, with tears in his eyes.  I saw a few other older black men, also standing their stoically, thier eyes awash with unshed tears.  As wonderful as it was, it seemed to be more than they could take in.

Only time will tell what will happen in the next 4 years and it will be future historians who determine how good or bad a president Barack Obama was. But, before that happens, let’s stop and live in THIS moment. There may (and I fully expect there to be) continued resistance to the idea of a black president. However, we’ve been presented with a reality that is not going to go away.  No matter what happens next week, we get to all sit up a little straighter this morning. We have moved many steps forward in our personal and national evolution.  Congratulations.

• The Cycle of Success Lately, I've been focused on the personal goals of posting to the blog every day in March and getting my newsletter back on a bi-weekly...
• Declaration of Self Esteem Virginia Satyr, noted American author and pscyhotherapist, provided this response to a 15-year-old girl's question, "How can I prepare myself for a fulfilling life?" I...

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 at 7:17 am and is filed under Live in Present, Positive Self Regard. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.