Over-excited?

My American friends have been sending me emails full of “A new day is dawning,” type prose.   Perhaps I have lived in cynical Britain for so long – or maybe too long – cause my initial reaction is that maybe everybody is getting just a wee bit too excited.  But then I thought, why not revel in the excitement?  There is nothing in this whole world more invigorating as the first month of a new love affair.  Those of us who have been around the block know that the joy and passion can’t last at those levels but we do it anyway and there is no denying it is wonderful.  In time, with luck, the exuberance of the beginnings morphs into comfortable, sustainable, living – without luck, it ends in tears. 

So go wild America, revel in your overexcitement, speak fluorescently about the promise of tomorrow – just remember that every mountain climber has to come down.  Whether it is a soft descent or a plummet is down to skill, preparation, teamwork but also – providence.

Good luck Mr President and good luck America.

Just walking around with this stupid smile

I keep finding myself just walking around with this stupid smile plastered across my face. 

In 1980 my college roommate Mike and I actively campaigned for Jimmy Carter in his re-election bid against Ronald Reagan.  On the night of the election we became the unofficial democratic headquarters.  A huge party was prepared in our big old student digs.  ABC was in the kitchen, NBC the living room and CBS was in the dining room.  There were two half kegs of beer and a trash can full of gorilla (grain alcohol and cherry Kool-Aid.)  You were only allowed into the party if you had a voting receipt.

I was lathering up in the shower when Mike just walked in and threw back the shower curtain.  “Get downstairs,” he said, “he’s resigning.”

Carter got trounced – he resigned before anybody had even arrived at the party  – he resigned before the polls closed in California.   

It was the worse party I have ever thrown.  The only moment of excitement was when our only republican pick won a local seat.  (We hadn’t backed the democrat because he was under indictment.)

That night marked the beginning of a right wing lean that has been pressing on America ever since.  Ever since, that is, until last night when, I think, it was finally exorcised by Senator Obama’s spectacular victory.

I called Mike at 4am and said, “Can you imagine how awesome our party would have been if we were still 21 years old and our party was tonight?

“You’ve been reading my mind,” was his reply.

Now – I wonder – were does one get a bottle of pure grain alcohol and a packet of Kool-aid here in England?