The title from one of Obama's book keeps circling around in my head:
The Audacity of Hope. And then also I keep thinking about his inaugural speech yesterday and how he said that every person needs to be strong and stand up and be accountable. And the cynic in me responds, "What does that even mean? Give me some direct examples, please." But then the moo-moo side of me argues back (moo-moo = hippie/optimist/do gooder), "Maybe that means doing your part to conserve energy and to make more intelligent choices about spending. Like, maybe that means you should spend $50 at H&M every other week to buy shirts I don't need that fall apart by the end of the month. Maybe instead you should save your money to purchase a house or to pay off your bills." And maybe if everyone did the same thing, squashed their impulses for immediate gratification through consumerism, then it actually would make a difference (here's where the swelling sound of "Khumbya" begins to be heard in the background). But you know, I think lots of us are still in culture shock from having a leader who is intelligent and thoughtful. It's so foreign. And someone who is respected by the global community. Someone with a brain who has a better than average command of the English language and practices diplomacy.
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