Maybe We Can

A series of vignettes
Last night, I called my parents as I watched Barak Obama elected the next President of the United States of America. I asked my Dad, what do you think of all of this? As we chatted he said to me, one thing I feel, people will no longer be able to easily say, 'I can't.' "

Later, I spoke with my friend and fellow Rabbinic student Ariana. She told me over her experiences which she wrote down and I am sharing here:
NYC Nov. 5 2am
Going home
The subway:  New Yorkers smiling at one another on the subway.  New Yorkers do not look, much less, smile, at each other on the subway.
On the subway platforms:  Cheers of "Obama" shouted from one stranger to another--up and down escalators, across platforms.  Applause.  Cheers.  Small conversations start-up between strangers.  People are discussing how gracious McCain's concession speech was--without disdain.  And then they just start smiling again.
On the walk home: People smiling at one another as they pass by.  New Yorkers do not look at each other as they are walking--particularly at 1:30am.  But the subways, stations, and streets are packed, and people are smiling at each other, knowingly. At 1:30am.

On St. Marks between Ave.A and 1st Ave.: A half-block from home, I started to cry.  The police have blocked-off the street.  I can see a mass of people.  This is the East Village--the counter-cultural mecca.  A mass of police cars is not so shocking.  But these people are not protesting.  They are dancing in the street.  Hugging.  Cheering.  And waving American flags.  I kid you not.  The police have blocked off the street and are smiling as they watch tattooed, pierced, disillusioned young people sway to music from the apartments above and wave five or six foot long American flags in the air.  With pride.  And they are playing "We are the champions" from someone's stereo. And everyone is singing along and smiling at each other.  And "old" people (ie those over 35) are standing on the periphery in disbelief. And the police have no intention of breaking this up.

And I knew I had to write it all down before I went to sleep, or I would think it was a dream.

Back to me:
I was walking down Broadway south from Union Square this morning. I saw two, middle-aged women parting ways around 9th street. One was cheering and jumping up and down as the other walked away smiling. The first called to the second, "I am so happy I ran into you this morning…YES WE CAN!" Who knows what they were speaking about, what they had decided they could do. But they were inspired and that inspiration is contagious.

There is a sense of something greater, there is something hopeful and optimistic in the world. Something is different…something…

Perhaps, just perhaps…we actually can...