The Man of the Year

Rocky and I were so excited about the inauguration that we stood outside in the cold for a whole minute so that we could pretend that we were in Washington D.C. It wasn't quite the same but since I wasn't able to get a ticket to the big gig I enjoyed watching it all on TV from the warmth of our apartment. It was a big day for both of us because it was our first time watching a president take the oath. I know, I know, it is pretty ridiculous that I have made it 27 years without participating in such an important national event. I guess that eight years ago I was too caught up in the little trappings of my own life to be concerned about the rest of the world. I'm making up for it now by forcing my baby girl, who would much rather be chewing on a spatula, watch our newest president swear to protect the constitution. She'll probably thank me for it one day by refusing to vote.

I was impressed with President Obama's speech and I felt encouraged to do my best to be a better American. I think he is just what we need right now.

As beautiful as Barack Obama's words always are, there was something else that he did that really caught my attention. I was cleaning around the house and had the TV on later in the day during the parade. The first family was in a special booth outside the White House to view the parade which mostly consisted of high school bands from around the country. At the beginning I noticed both he and Michelle smiled and waved at each group. They clapped and gave a thumbs up or greeted each one in a very sincere way. After about 20 minutes I got bored and left to work on the dishes for a while. When I looked again an hour later they were still smiling. I thought about all those poor high school kids in the freezing cold who had waited all day to play for the president, and what a thrill it would be for them to be the recipients of one of those enthusiastic smiles. After about 3 hours and 350 marching bands and floats they were as respectful to the last group as they were to the first.

I'm sure that after such a busy and cold day the Obamas were tired and probably bored of seeing 350 entries in the parade. They could have easily sat down or chatted with some of the VIPs that were in the booth with them, but they went out of their way to make sure that those kids knew that they were appreciated.

I know that I'll never be the person of the year or have crowds of people cheering at the sight of me, but, I do hope that I can follow the example of the president and his wife and treat other

people with the dignity and respect that they deserve.

I am grateful for the example of the Man of the Year.