As I write this, I'm sitting in my office, looking over the San Francisco Bay. It is a clear, sunny day, the waters are calm, and I can see the beautiful skyline of San Francisco in the distance. People there were dancing in the streets of North Beach last night - just as they were in Times Square in New York, Grant Park in Chicago...and in front of the White House in Washington DC.
I feel a great peace this morning - a feeling that everything is going to be all right, despite the two simultaneous wars, the global economic tsunami, global warming, and a host of other problems seemingly too numerous to count.
Maybe I'm not as cynical as I thought I was. But it feels like waking up from an unending nightmare.
Time to remove my "Obama '08" bumper sticker, and replace it with two images: one of the world, and one of the American flag.
Thank you to our friends around the world who are delighted about these events. A new day dawns here, and everyone I know is jumping up and down with excitement.