Woooosaaaa...

I'm exhausted. I feel like I haven't slept the best sleep in at least six months or taken a proper deep breath in the past eighteen. I already feel that it's cliche, but I really didn't ever think I would live to see the day when a black man would be preparing to lead my country. While his blackness certainly didn't dictate my vote, I can definitely say that a combination of his platform and swagger certainly did. The fact that he looks like he could be in my family is simply frosting on an already delicious cake.

He seems unflappable but not unmoved by the perplexing circumstances that surround him. He can seem stoic but also possesses the ability to comfort someone with a sincere touch. Nope, the brotha doesn't walk on water and I sure as hell don't want him to. That's what we have Jesus for. Now we have Obama for something else entirely.

Admittedly, I felt proud when I watched him walk out onto the stage, game face on, standing confidently behind that podium, testicles well intact (no thanks to Jesse). His look implied he had his mind on his mission and the desire to give the American public real talk about the work ahead. I came across people age 50+ who were registering and voting for the first time. I also came across some who hadn't bothered casting a ballot in years because the disenfranchisement had settled deep into their souls. So, while seeing him on that stage made me cry from amazement at what the American public was able to do simply by choosing to engage in the political process, I was also afraid and sad.

Nope, it wasn't the kind of fear on which his opposition seemed to have been running for the past eight years. It was the kind of fear that worries about the safety of my President-Elect. It was fear based on logic and the knowledge of the truth that while many support him, many who are angry, bitter, resentful, and even narrow-minded may seek to harm him instead of just resolving to disagree with his views. I felt sad that his every triumph as well as every misstep will be scrutinized to the point of oblivion. I shook my head at the possibility of black leaders attempting to hold him solely responsible for the plight of African-Americans in my country all the while expecting some type of hand out or hook up based on skin tone alone. I felt sad that he inherited a financial disaster and diplomatic disappointment. Despite my fears about what may happen, I knew in my heart that no matter how heartfelt and real his intentions are, he would be successful in my book if he managed to accomplish one third of what he wants to do within a four year span. I will say, however, that although I remain realistic about my expectations of what's ahead, my pride and excitement far outweighed my fear and sadness.

Today I got to witness history. I got to see something that I always thought of as an impossibility in my lifetime on this earth. Today I got to go to my polling place and fill in a bubble for someone I honestly believe. For the first time since I was old enough to vote, I drove away from that polling place feeling as if what I'd just done truly mattered. So, even though I'm a little nervous about his safety and the safety of all his appendages, I am more than hopeful about the direction the country in which I live will take during the next four years. I'm hopeful that that which is now reality will change and a new reality will spring up in its place. I am positive that we will be better off because of it.