a new day

there is change afoot.

the things about life that have always seemed natural have shifted somehow. i now find myself comfortable in public and social situations which just a year or so ago would have numbed me out. i can have an uncomfortable feeling and find the patience to sit through it, or let it play out, without ruining my day or sending me to an isolated position. of course this has not always been the case.

neither have i spent a day listening to two separate and seemingly disconnected speeches by two men of african american descent in two separate cities before today. yet having experienced this today, i am finding that the category of men i consider leaders and the places i garner my information and my inspiration have expanded into new areas and grown. this is completely heartwarming for me.

i spent yesterday morning listening to robert e fullilove discuss his impressions of the migration of the hiv virus in america and its correlation to the continual displacement of the brown skinned citizens in america. it helped me realize just how very little i understand and need to learn in order to be effective in the work that i am doing.

and then of course, in my hometown, was the speech to beat this year, by the one and only mr. obama. his words brought tears to several of my viewing companions. this, i simply believe, can be attributed to the "audacity of hope" that he wrote about and that emanates from him and is as infectious as radioactivity. just the reality of a brown-skinned man making an nomination acceptance speech for the presidency of the u.s. is monumental. not so much if one is, let's say, under 40. but to those of us over 40, i believe this is more than just a notation in the history books. it signifies part of our lives coming full circle. it is not a declaration of uncomfortability. it is more the recognition of a metamorphosis. it is also the passing of the gauntlet and the turning of the tide. a new dawn. a new day. a new age. a new life.

today i am heading back to that hometown, feeling changed. big time changed represented by these two experiences in these separate arenas.

and i'm feelin good.