Do you remember this day?
Inauguration Day
Isn’t it quite astonishing that we welcome a politician with such excitement and anticipation? I would so love to see pictures and videos of what you are are doing as you watch Obama take the oath of office and make his first speech as President.
Today, I chatted online with another “non-American” who added the usual “touch wood” caveat that I mentioned yesterday. None of us want to be too excited “just in case”. And to work through our anxieties seems ill-timed.
Good leadership is about us
The level of our excitement teaches us an important lesson about leadership. Good leadership is not about the man or woman walking in the leader’s shoes. It is about us. It is about our expectations of ourselves and of the people around us.
Do Americans trust themselves?
How much do we believe in Americans, and how much do they believe in us? How much do Americans believe in each other, and how much are they willing to reach out to each other to show that commitment?
A day of belonging for many
Today is the day of those who have worked long and hard for this moment, and who lived their lives believing that this day would never come. Today is the first day they believe they fully belong. This day is theirs to celebrate and to cherish.
A day of reflected joy and marvel for us
Today is the day we get to bask in their reflected joy and to marvel at their resilience, determination, loyalty and generosity. There are not many moments like this in a lifetime when we stand in awe of people who have accomplished so much. It is a day of gratitude when we are happy for no reason than the world has taken us gently by surprise.
A day when we quietly wonder whether we are much better than we though we were
It is a moment in which we ask – are we not a little better than we thought?
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