inauguration day

I'm in one of the cafes in the village. I'm puttering on my laptop, nursing a large decaf, watching people and cars come and go outside the window. The television set is tuned to CNN, which is showing live coverage of the festivities in Washington, DC. Two talking heads are, well, talking.

Earlier today, after I took my walk, I did my usual stretches. I had the radio tuned to CBC, and I listened to their coverage of the ceremony. I heard Barack Hussein Obama say the oath of office, then I heard a massive cheering. I smiled pretty wide. Then I listened to him give his inaugural address. As I made my lunch I heard the "fourth inaugural poet", Elizabeth Alexander, read her poem "Praise Song for the Day". I kept smiling at all of it.

We drove into town. At the bank the tellers smiled at us and asked if we'd heard or watched the event. At the post office, the same. And now, here at the cafe, it's on the TV. People come in and out, chat with each other, talk about other things. But in the background, history's been made. And I'm glad that here in Canada we're paying proper attention to this day. It is important, not just for our neighbours to the south, but for everyone the world over.

Also, off topic: just a minute ago, two little girls sitting at a table with an older woman, were talking about something. I'm not sure what it was, but I caught this snippet:

First girl: "So is my brother."

Second girl: "So is everyone who has a hat."

I love overhearing children's conversations. They're so awesome!



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Also, I'm still wondering what your thoughts are on my next blog post. See the previous post for the options, and to leave your comments.