Restlessness

Right now, I'm watching our two cats roam around the house a bit restlessly. Yesterday they were spayed, and we just got home a little while ago. They are not quite sure what to do with themselves.

As I watch the cats roam, I'm also watching the inauguration.

I am a democrat, I did vote for Obama, I wish that his race was not so much of an issue, but I'm not sure it can be, nor should be, avoided. I cringe a little every time I hear "the first woman/jew/minority" to hold. . . But, change hasn't happened as quickly as I think it should have. I heard a statistic this morning that Martin Luther King, Jr. anticipated that it would take 35 years before an African American was elected president - he was off by a bit, it took 47.

So, as we have nibbled away at the barriers that have made it difficult for many to pursue these leadership roles, it does bear celebrating when we have broken another barrier. We have many more barriers to cross on many more issues and I hope we don't forget that crossing these should be celebrated.

But, I don't view Obama as a savior, I don't think that all that is wrong will suddenly be fixed. I expect that he will do the best he can. And while people may be right and the media may have gone easy on Obama - well maybe it's like a sporting event where one bad call cancels out another. That the years that things were done just because someone was a minority is canceled out by this one being supported.

I hope that this is what we need. I hope that years from now we have a clearer picture of the Bush years (I think there were mistakes made and I think that some things were done that should not have). I think that Bush spent many years listening to the wrong advisers.

At this time, I have hope, but I'm a bit restless as I wait for the hullabaloo to die down and reality to set in. To wait for those who are bashing Obama simply because Bush was bashed and in spite of their comments that Bush was not treated well they are practicing an 'eye for an eye,' waiting for the people who are so vocal about how amazing Obama is to, well, tone down a little. Because the reality is probably going to land in the middle.