I occasionally gather the loose pieces of metallic monies that float around in my pockets and deposit them into a bowl in my cupboards. Over time, this will then be hauled to a bank to get counted and turned into hard cash which i store in an undisclosed container found in my storage closet. I first started doing this on September 14th, 2001. Three days after a massive attack of proportions still unfathomed upon the city that i reside, it became clear to me that i needed an immediate fund of cash that i could access in just such an emergency - when cellphones didn't make outgoing calls; when lines extended 3 blocks long just to pull out a $20 dollar bill from an ATM; when you weren't certain if you'd need, let alone be able to get, fresh, clean water. I compiled my coinage, and since then have accumulated a nice, comfortable amount of greenbacks to help me in a dire situation. All of this, came from change. Simply that - change.
Two days ago i witnessed firsthand the peaceful transition of US governmental power from one man to another. I stood amongst a crowd of millions, surrounded by those whose hearts were designed to beat for this moment, the time when this country decided that "Liberty and Justice for All" could now be taken literally. I cried, i sobbed, and i reflected on all of what i was witnessing. Change. Simple, uninterrupted change. Our country will never be the same. All of this seems so small, so minuscule. How much can one man accomplish? Why is this the question that dominates the airwaves? Why do we ponder what he has yet to do for this nation rather than to simply contemplate what his ascension to this office has already allowed? There has most certainly been a shift, an alteration, an offering of options that lay ahead.
I can say with great confidence that as i have pondered, from time to time, the bundle of bills that sit in wait in my utility closet for that moment i may call upon them to help me out of a jam, the right man at the right time has taken the helm and will steer this ship with as much wind to his aft that we can possibly lend it.
2 comments:
Deity, Sir
There is a quote i read just today, spoken from a reverend in my country:
"(Rosa) Parks sat so King could walk. King walked so Obama could run. Obama ran so we could fly."
i believe we could all use a little change to help us get through the day.
~alexandria
Thank you for this. You brought back the tears and joy from that day, which in fact have never left and were with me for months before. The cold I caught on that frosty morning will (I hope) pass soon, but may we never lose the sense of warmth from the millions that stood around us and the sense of wonder and gratitude that we reached that moment.
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