Oh What A Glorious Day!

As I awoke today, the first thought that popped into my head was....go back to sleep. But then it hit me. Today is January 19th, 2008. MLK-day! And, better than that...George W. Bush's last day in office. Oh what a day. Today is a day that I have been waiting for. Today we can turn the page and finish an 8-year chapter of economic despair, deceit, and mis-guidance. Do I think the world is going to change at the stroke of midnight? No. Not even close. But, I have faith in the new leadership that the future is brighter, much brighter than the murky waters known as the Bush presidency.

I started the day with a trip to downtown Seattle in the hopes of watching the marching bands and dance teams perform during the MLK parade. Unfortunately, only 3 groups showed up and the parade was canceled. While I was disappointed at the lack of coordination for an event that is meant to celebrate the life of one true hero, I was struck by the energy of those in the downtown area.

One of the things that I love about living in Seattle is that every day is different. I can become a tourist in my city and experience things as though it is my first time. No place allows that more than the Pike Place Market. I've been to the market dozens and dozens of times. This time was different. While there is always a buzz of activity at the Market, people have always seemed to keep to themselves or to their company. Today it was like the sun came out and people's social bubbles burst. People seemed.....excited. That is the only word I can find to describe today's setting at the Market.

As a baseball fan, I'm not foreign to a similar feeling at the beginning of spring training. The beginning of a new season brings overwhelming optimism. This will be the year we go all the way. As a Mariner's fan, I think this "excitement" is greater than it would be if I were a Red Sox or Yankees fan because the Mariners haven't experience the sucesses of those other clubs. The more you succeed, the more excitement wains and success is viewed as a right of passage. Anything less than being number 1 is a failure.

I draw the baseball analogy because I think we (the US) has become accustomed to being the World Series champion every year. For the most part during the 90's we were on top of the world. Unfortunately, we brought in a General Manager named Bush and our team chemistry went out the window. Now, we must rebuild, re-tool, or restructure. We've been at the bottom of the division too long. We demand better.

We can debate all we want about who led us to our current state and who should share in that blame. In my opinion, there is plenty of blame to go around and we all need to eat a slice. That said, we need to move on. There is a lot of work to do. We need to fix our economy. We need to repair our reputation around the world. We need to get back to doing the thing we do best....showing the world how a successful country can prosper. This is not an easy task, nor is there a quick solution. There may be some setbacks, there usually are. There may be some unpopular decision, you can count on those, too. I believe President Obama can put us back on track.

As we creep closer to the dawn of a new era, it is always good to stop and take a look around. Look where we are, look at what's happening around the world. I bet a lot of what you see isn't pretty. The good thing is that we have hope. Hope for change. The train is leaving the station and Tomorrow is our next stop. Are you coming? Or, are you going to remain in Today, dwell in the past and fear what Tomorrow will bring?

As for me, I'm going to wiggle my way into the best seat in the house. Hell, I might even go out and see if I can play.