cheery commute

Florescent sunrise,
hanging like a fuzzy peach,
rises a smile.

And that's how I began my day. For once, the digital temp. display that glares at me each morning began with a "2": a positive sign that the day wouldn't turn out as frigorific as those before it. With my fingerless gloves--which have taken on the moniker "wrist warmers" by some--I made my way to work. I was comfortable, at ease and much more alert this morning. I found my eyes being a bit more liberal, a nice change from the eyes-to-the-pavement morning commute approach. Maybe because I was actually running on time, maybe it's the switch from coffee to green tea or maybe just because it's Friday, who knows the reason, but it was there and it made for a pleasant drive. And whether it was the break in the cool temps or the fact that I was looking up rather than down, I'm not sure, but I experienced a blazing sunrise. It was a fuzzy orange and pink glow, and all I could think of was the Glo-Butterfly I had as a child; I suppose I was feeling that good. A glance above revealed a feathered, aerial tango in the morning sky. To the left, a girl passed, a half eaten apple in her hand, a smile on her face and body who's ears had been hit with an upbeat rhythm. All of it, made me smile.

As I reflect on this changed a.m. experience I have to wonder, is everyone feeling a bit more gleeful? Have we all been injected with a little hope? Could one man be all that it takes to shift a country's state of mind? It's a lot to ask, but even if it's provided the catalyst for people to take a moment to stop and think about their lives, what they're doing with it, where they've taken it and what, big or small, could they be doing to make it and the world a better place, that's a pretty outstanding step. We know his approval rating is above 70 percent, a rarity no doubt. But I don't believe we'll ever really be able to quantify all that the inauguration of President Obama has done in the minds of those in the U.S. of A. It will be an ongoing measure, one that the test of time will put its mark on. Yet in the here and now, one thing is quite certain, whether it's viewed as a change that will evoke profound actions and results or not, it's change: one that shifts the idea of change as something to fear to the back and shimmies the idea of change as a silver lining forward.

I sort of miss that little thing.