Angels in America

Today was a day of service. As my mom headed off to gather her official Inauguration tickets, Camille and I went off to plant a tree. After a crazy maze of driving and bad directions, we arrived at Anacostia National Park. Just erase any image of a Yosemite or Grand Canyon Nationa Park. This is more like Compton and Watts combined. We had a great time. Camille and I went to work with a Ranger and another volunteer, Paco, to plant our tree while a large tent housed lots of Senators making speeches to their supporters.

We had a one hour turn around from tree planting to the service event I could hardly wait for. The Social Action Boot Camp - a speed dating event that paired up adult mentors "me" and up and coming non-profit innovators 25 years and under (Camille spotted one participant who couldn't have been older than 10 years old). I have to keep this story short but because of more bad directions, the shock of the crowds who were taking transportation today, NOT being allowed into some cabs - I never made it in time to start the Boot Camp project. After crying on the streets of D.C., Camille and I finally arrived at Georgetown University for the final 30 minutes of the Camp. After apologies and explanations, I learned that I was not the only one to not make the day. So, I will spare you the prolonged story and tell you about our "angels". Although we were lost many times today on the road today, we found our way through a host of kind strangers. A police officer in DC, Officer Mobley, who escorted us around a maze of dead ends to get to our tree planting project, a woman at a gas station who changed her plans and drove in front of us to lead us to the park and ride station, and the Republican, anti-Obama cab driver who saw us as viable passengers who inevitably took us to Georgetown.

Yet, the best Angels are always right under your nose. The understanding daughter who knew how much the Boot Camp project meant and asserted herself to help me hail a cab when I felt defeated. How about the friend from San Diego (here for Obamanauguration too) and her sister whom I never met before, meeting us in Georgetown, helping us find veggie food and then driving us all the way across Washington DC to get back to our abandoned car. My big lesson today was to keep mindful that all these acts of kindness were service in their own right. Something THEY may forget, but I will always remember.

The Obama fever today was HIGH. I can feel the excitement EVERYWHERE with a big dose of anxiety as everyone must negotiate road and bridge closures. Trains and buses with overloaded capacity. The area is wide awake. We know people sleeping in their D.C. offices tonight with family and friends to avoid the morning madness. Others are not sleeping at all and have staked their claim near the National Mall. Tonight was filled with soldiers, police, secret service, machine guns, blackened windowed SUVs and endless sirens and flashing lights...I am an excited, nervous wreck and tomorrow Barack Hussein Obama will be our President.