Tuesday is going to big day – the preamble to a new constitution - an audacious salute to the American Dream that clears away the skeptism that anything is possible. Old thinking will be replaced by a hopeful new era of leadership and I’m en route to be close to the ceremony that will usher in our silver lining. I’m not going to be at the inauguration itself, but I will be among the millions who are making a migration to somehow be a part of something bigger than all of us.
The plane is filled with an anxious enthusiasm that is altogether tactile and intangible – like the simmer of joy before a wedding or the childlike anticipation of Christmas Day. Knowing and waiting and feeling are coming together as we await the exodus of old and the arrival of hope.
It’s an exciting journey so far, which is somehow better on Virgin America (gratuitous plug) if you can’t fly first class. I just finished watching Hancock, ironically about a black superhero saving the world, which wasn’t as bad as the critics reviewed. I actually liked it a lot although I’ve always had a soft spot for Wil Smith.
I admit, I was a bit edgy waiting to board the plane. I could see some people with their ball gowns in garment bags, others who looked like they scraped up just enough savings to get a flight. Most people are in pairs on this trip, although there are a few singles and a smattering of families. Once I boarded and got comfortable in my aisle seat, I took a break from my headphones and engaged in a playful banter with a bespeckled single dude behind me when he was poking the back of my touchscreen TV seat with a little bit to much Bart Simpsonesque zeal (‘poke!’ QUIT IT – ‘poke’ QUIT IT – ‘poke’). I had to put that shit in check, “Try touching the screen with more of an iphone swipe and not a jab”, I suggested with a smile. We went back and forth for a bit with more flirty chitchat before I turned back around replacing my earbuds blasting house music into my head (Oh if only airplanes had gay discos located in the back of the plane *sigh*).
I loaded up on a full breakfast this morning of huevos rancheros and a tall cup of coffee at Los Burritos, savoring the saucy goodness of the runny eggs and caramel-like refried beans. AH, Mexican food. I figured starting out the day with a guilty delight from South of the border was the perfect salute to
So here I am now on the flight, somewhere over
