welcoming our new president: inauguration day

on the way to DC on the train, i changed trains in chicago. that final train was 100% full, and almost every passenger was on their way to the inauguration. it was a celebratory ride, full of excited conversations and high energy.

inauguration day started for me (and my friends from portland, molly and tony) at 4:30a. we ate breakfast in the hotel lobby and boarded the metro red line into downtown DC. as groggy as we were, our spirits were high and we were surrounded by enthusiastic people. we had mapped out our route and proceeded in the dark to the washington monument. the cold was biting, but there were already swarms of people, pouring through the streets towards the mall. we arrived at our destination, had a big jumbo screen to watch and settled in for a long wait. an endless river of people flowed into the mall, until every available space was filled up. the sunrise warmed us and and a new day was begun.

as the inauguration ceremony began, the crowd went wild. surrounded by people as far as the eye could see, the sounds were overwhelming. the first major thing that struck me was that our constitution held, the transition of power succeeded once again. even though the previous president's administration undermined the constitution in many ways, even though we moved closer to facism as a nation, even though 9/11 pushed this nation into fear, power was transferred peacefully to our new president.

throughout the ceremonies, speeches, music and events, so many emotions flowed through me. people all around me--myself included--alternated between cheers, tears, and silent reflection. we all worked so hard and believed that this day was possible. in the darkest hours, when we were most discouraged, we imagined this day. overall i ultimately come back to what this means to me most of all: it is a time of renewal and a time for each of us to rise to the challenges we face. cynics say that our "hope" will be shattered when obama doesn't "turn out". but they miss a fundamental reality that has truly shifted for me and hundreds of others who i know personally who worked on this campaign. this campaign was a training ground for so many of us--most of us gen x or gen "we"--a training for a new america and a new planet. while we respect and admire obama, none of us are living with delusions that he is going to "solve everything for us". the election of obama is a symbol of hope and change, but it is up to all of us to roll up our sleeves and create a new future. i am reminded of the quote from lin-chi: "if you meet the buddha on the road, kill the buddha". it is now--and has always been--up to us.

and now, off to celebrate, drink, dance and shout!

welcoming our new president: cross-country train pt. 2

late last night, somewhere in north dakota, i had a long conversation with the porter reggie. it started by him asking me where i was going, and i replied "to DC to welcome our new president". he gave me a broad smile and said "i grew up in chicago, used to ride my bike past the house where the obamas live now. this inauguration means so much to me in so many ways." we were off and running.

we talked for quite some time into the nite, along a wide range of topics. when we felt drowsy he would pause and open one of the window hatches to look outside, as a blast of refreshing frozen air would light up our senses. he told a story of being on the train one night during the worst blizzard of the season, and how the train kept pushing on, didn't skip a beat, with a total whiteout outside that same window. planes, cars, and buses were all at a standstill, but his train kept right on trudging across the countryside. he said it made him proud to be part of something so beautiful and simple.

then we got on the subject of the future. in his spare hours in his cabin, reggie has been writing long essays and creating charts and graphs for a "rail renaissance" in america. he dreams of a time when rail (including high speed rail) is clean, ubiquitous, efficient, safe, accessible to all and a core part of america's transportation system. like france's TGV but everywhere. he has been preparing for months now, and has a presentation scheduled with some amtrak executives in chicago soon. he knows that this is his part to play in a new america, and he credits obama's story of coming from nothing to now being president with giving him the extra courage to fight for his own dream. "if he can do that, i can do anything too. and nothing is going to stop me at this point."

and i explain how i have felt much the same recently, and how this type of conversation keeps getting repeated. i am simply no longer going to keep doing the things i don't want to do in my life. i will relentlessly pursue my dreams, knowing that i am only limited by my courage and imagination. i will spend my energy on real relationships of depth and honesty with people. i will work hard, but retain a commitment to fun along the journey. i feel like a sleeping dragon is awakening within many of us, and just in time because the problems we face are unprecedented. and our dreams are not idle fantasies, they are grounded and attainable, accompanied by a personal fierceness that says "this is OUR time!" time to roll up our sleeves and do what each of us--ordinary humans--came here (this planet, this time) to do.

welcoming our new president: cross-country train pt. 1

last summer, as the hard-fought democratic primary was drawing to a close, i knew right away that i wanted to go to D.C. for the inauguration of the new president in january 2009. i was optimistic that obama would win over mccain (hillary was a much more formidable opponent), but i figured that i would book my transportation and hotel 7 months in advance and i would be coming out to either celebrate or protest. as i travel across the country on the "empire builder" train, i am thankful that this journey is about celebration.

as i stepped on the train, i was greeted by reggie, the sleeper car porter. he pointed me to my room and asked where the other passenger was. i had to quickly figure out how much i wanted to explain to reggie. "yi was my wife, but she is not coming with me on this trip. it's just me now." he looked at me with an understanding look, and just nodded his head "oh". as soon as i entered my sleeper, i threw down my bags and got to the first order of business, putting up my "oregon for obama" signs in the windows. gotta represent.

i slept soundly as my train plowed through the snow and ice of the rockies, as trains had done 100 years ago on this same route, as they hopefully continue to do for at least another 100. i occasionally awoke to haunting images or feelings, peering out the window as snow covered trees and cliffs flashed by before drifting back to sleep. the next morning i talked to the conductor and asked about snowstorms and other intense weather, and he said nothing external stops this train. powered by three powerful diesel engines, it gets through anything, even a snowpocalypse. mechanical breakdowns sometimes cause delays, but that is mainly due to the infrastructure neglect of the nation's passenger rail system.

long hours spent reading and reflecting, watching the plains of montana and abandoned rusty equipment pass on by. like a river, continuously flowing, the thoughts and emotions rising and then fading, i feel light and at ease. as always happens on the train, conversations with strangers flow easily. i meet jordan, a heart-broken man who just said goodbye to his girlfriend to return to ohio (some complicated story involving the law and an overbearing girlfriend's mother). but i could see the pain in his eyes, his story punctuated by pauses as he looked out the window fighting back tears. we were quick to connect as i explained my recent separation, and efforts to start a new life. soon he grabbed his bottle of jack daniel's, and we were taking shots to a brighter future, him with his budweiser chaser and me with my corona. we watched a beautiful sunset in the big cold sky, both eventually feeling pretty close to OK.