The New Millennium

The elections are finally over. Like many of you, I'm a news junkie and have been parked in front of the TV late every night for months and I've got dark circles under my eyes to show it! I'll be tracking the new Obama administration's transition, of course, but now I can get a life.

I'm so pleased that we may re-engage the rest of the world now and I know many people around the world feel the same. If you have time and if you're inclined, read this Washington Post article about reactions around the world. It astounds me that the world still looks up to us as the embodiment of possibility and craves - needs - a better relationship with us. We need them too.

Washington should be an interesting place for a while. I've been here through a few administrations, but this one feels different already. Washington usually feels like the city described in The Jungle (I think?), in which the characters live largely in anonymity, unseen by others. I found this disturbing at first, but I've gotten used to it. I can be plenty self-absorbed too, especially on my way to work in the morning or speeding home at night. But something odd has happened over the last 24 hours - people see me. In my encounters at the grocery store last night with the clerk and another customer, and with a bookstore cashier and at Starbucks this morning, people have found an excuse to talk to me and look me in eye longer than they usually do. It's nice to be seen.

I've thought about moving at least once a month since I moved here 20 years ago, but I'm glad I'm here now. I've watched all those other inaugurations on TV, but I'll attend this one. I want to be bathed in this positive energy for as long as it lasts.

Though I expect that Washington will return to being Washington again as we settle into addressing our devastating problems, right now it finally feels like the 21st century has really begun.