Unlike many politicians, Obama doesn't just talk the talk. His first few steps as president prove that he also walks the walk. And we can all learn from him.
Just after the inauguration, we met a congressman who mentioned that from his vantage point on the platform behind Obama, the teleprompter was malfunctioning. I haven't seen this reported in the press. Still I prefer to believe it's true: that within seconds, Obama faced the first snafu of his presidency and adapted with his signature style: he delivered the speech on his own and never missed a beat.
Each of us are presented with opportunities when we can adapt to the needs of the moment. My chance came right after the inauguration.
My nephew Aaron had planned the inauguration experience for me and his two cousins with military precision. Everything worked. After the speech, all that remained was getting us home.
To return to college, Daniel was flying to Chicago. But as Obama's hometown, practically the whole city was now in Washington. A week ago when I booked the trip, there wasn't a single seat available to Chicago for two days after the inauguration. Daniel's flight-- leaving Reagan International at 6 p.m. on Inauguration Day--would be very tight, but it was the only flight I could get.
Aaron knew getting Daniel to the airport would be a challenge without the usual options like taxis or super shuttles--everything in the vicinity was blocked off due to extreme security. So we were planning to walk to the nearest open Metro station and drop Daniel off. Even assuming he had to wait a few hours to get INTO the station, he should be able to make his flight.
After the speech, we started walking. Though we'd already spent the day among the crush of people on the Capitol lawn, we were astounded by the sea of humanity we encountered as we walked closer to the Mall where over a million people had gathered. Apparently, 99% of the million were headed to the Metro, too. We got to the first station--it was shut down tight. Not even an option to wait on line. Same story at the next station. And the next. For the entire surrounding area--the system couldn't handle the overload and overcrowding. No entrance. No Metro. No airport.
We had already walked miles in the direction that led out of town. No one could come to our rescue because every road, highway and bridge around Washington was closed to traffic, due to the upcoming parade. We were stuck. Screwed. Seriously.
Already exhausted, I envisioned Daniel trapped for days. For one instant (that I never mentioned to the 3 guys) I mentally considered faking a heart attack and calling an ambulance. LOL.
Aaron was in Obama mode---calmly determined to get Daniel on that flight. We had just heard Obama speak about America entering a new era of responsibility. He called on us to make sacrifices, to get us through hard times.
In the same spirit of self-reliance, Aaron had a solution for our snafu. When I heard it, I thought it was impossible. Also insane.
But I had no better ideas. So at Aaron's direction, we kept walking. Along with a few other citizens desperate to leave the city. The bridges across the icy Potomac were closed to traffic, but not to people.
Pretty soon, the monuments and memorials of Washington were behind us.
On the Virginia side, armed soldiers guarded the exits along the highway. There were no cars or busses anywhere around us---just planes, far ahead in the distance, rising into the skies after take-off from Reagan International. We kept going.
Aaron, our leader, set a brisk pace. Daniel was wearing a 30-pound backpack, but I was the weak link in the family chain of strong, fit, 20-something men.
Despite the frigid air, I warmed up, shedding layers and losing a glove somewhere along the George Washington Memorial Parkway. I trudged ahead, thinking of how quickly I'd dismissed Aaron's strategy of self-reliance.
On the first day of his presidency, I learned that anything is possible in the era of Obama.
Even this.
We walked to the airport.
Yes. We. Can.
After dropping off Daniel, we headed back to Washington on the Metro. Later we learned we'd made such good time that Daniel got on standby and took an earlier flight. He was already in Chicago by the time I got to Dulles for my own flight a few hours later.
And now I'm home in California, left with the end result of this experience: not only extremely sore thighs. I've also learned a lot, thanks to our new president and his inauguration. I learned that we can all walk the walk--and do things we never imagine we can do.
How many miles did we walk? I wish I knew. I also learned I should listen more to my intuition--which told me that morning to wear my pedometer instead of leaving it behind in my suitcase.
The real moral of this story is found in a quote sent by my brother-in-law Paul after he heard the story of our saga: "If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress."
The author of this quotation--is Barack Obama.
Cross-posted on Huffington Post
That's quite a story! I checked Mapquest and it seems you walked close to 7 miles. Soyou earned those sore thighs. It was quite a day, wasn't it? We had a lot of trouble getting off the Mall though.
Welcome home.
Posted by: Cynthia Samuels | January 22, 2009 at 05:21 PM
7 miles? And that's not counting the miles we walked BEFORE the little trek to the airport. Thanks for checking.
Also heard today that the airports were overloaded the day AFTER just like the MEtro was--so we were lucky to get out when we did. Despite all the hassles, think you and I are lucky we were there, and have stories to tell.
Posted by: Darryle | January 22, 2009 at 07:10 PM
You WALKED to the airport? Wow. That is dedication! And very inspiring! I am seriously impressed!
Posted by: Jessica (from It's my life...) | January 22, 2009 at 11:12 PM
Thanks. I think possibly Daniel might be more amazed than anyone else. And maybe this is how family legends are born.
Posted by: Darryle | January 23, 2009 at 12:31 AM
Good grief, only Californian could think 7 miles was an impossibly long walk!
Posted by: Duchess | January 23, 2009 at 03:26 PM
As a native Washingtonian, I am impressed by your flexibility and your stamina. The city was a zoo earlier this week, and I'm glad you made it out on time! BTW, you will be interested (frustrated?) to learn that it was 50 degrees here today.
Posted by: Gayle Weiswasser | January 23, 2009 at 06:39 PM
50 degrees in Washington ?? It was colder today in California! Then again, the icy weather made the whole experience more adventurous. You are lucky to live there now--I was tempted to stick around and apply for a job working for Obama.
Duchess --While we are car-oriented out here, a 7 mile walk would be called a HIKE--and it would be on a trail, carrying water, and definitely NOT wearing Uggs. LOL.
Posted by: Darryle | January 23, 2009 at 10:44 PM
Beautiful story. You walked to the airport -- You're so obamalicious.
Posted by: katie schwartz | January 25, 2009 at 12:27 PM