Inauguration Day, 2009 U.S.A.

Today is one of the most exciting days of my life.
It is Jan. 20, 2009, the day Barack Obama was inaugurated
as President of the United States. The news media are carrying wonderful stories
of people determined to be there in spite of cold weather, no place to stay,
scarcity of bathrooms, and just general crowding. There will be thousands of law enforcement officers there, and they have to sleep on cots in a crowded hall.
Businesses all over the city are allowing their employees to spend the night at work, so that they might be on hand for the celebration.

Charley Gibson carried a news story tonight about a woman from Texas who drove to D.C. with her six children. She had been made homeless by Katrina. Her youngest was 6 months. Somehow, through the internet, she had found a family willing to house them in exchange for her doing all the cooking. She had no tickets to anything, but she just wanted to be there..to take part in this historic day.

I can't think of another event in my lifetime, other than the millennium celebration, or perhaps the Olympics, where Americans meet with such great joy and hope in mind. There is literally dancing in the streets. It is heartwarming to see our country joyful again.

Let the whole world watch and see how we have been relieved of a great weight, a burden of worry that has pervaded our lives for eight years.

In spite of 1.4 million people crowding the streets of Washington, D.C. , and in the face of 12 degree weather (wind chill -14!) there were not incidents, no fights, everyone was cooperative and helpful, and the general ebullience was contagious. The cameras panned over faces, red with cold, but still smiling and crying with happiness. Other networks carried scenes from Indonesia, Kenya, Hawaii and other parts of the world, as their people watched in awe and shared our hope for a better futures.

May be return to the days when all were proud to stand and sing the National Anthem with pride!

Inauguration Day, 2009 U.S.A.

An Attractive Woman

I started the first day of the new year right. I slept late. Then I went to the gym . Not many people there so we all felt a little virtuous. Not only was I rewarded for my exercise, but I had  a little experience that brightened my day and set me thinking.

I  can't speak for what men find attractive in women. But I have my own ideas of what sets woman apart when I first meet them. It's a woman with a   friendly smile. Nothing improves a person's looks like a big , sincere smile. There was a woman working out and as she passed me she was humming to the music.  We both exchanged  "Happy New Year" greetings. She was  rather petite,  wearing a crisp , white, long sleeved blouse and what we used to call pedal pushers. The music was rather lively and I felt my body start to feel the beat and want to move to the music.

  She got off one resistance machine and started dancing across the carpet. She was very lithe, and her steps made her look like someone who had a lot of dancing experience. A teacher, perhaps. As the music continued , she moved from machine to machine, doing her dance steps in between  and really enjoying the music.  I wanted so much to get up and follow her around, conga like, trying to emulate her moves. Another woman said something to me about  it and  I allowed as how I'd like to have the nerve to do that. She laughed and said , "Not me! I have two left feet!"

  The dancing woman continued her moves until she spotted a friend and they began an intense conversation that lasted quite a while. As I prepared to leave, I passed them and she stopped her conversation, called out to me, and said, " You and I greeted each other and I think we should meet. I'm Angela and this is my friend, Joanne."

I told her how her dancing had affected me and she revealed that her husband really doesn't like to dance and she misses the opportunity to enjoy it.

We chatted for a while and I thought how pleasant it was to have met someone so bright , so 

joyful and so eager to meet others. Now that's an attractive woman!

What a  positive way to start the new year...meeting a new friend or two.