Don't come shattered to this peace*

A wing above Eye Street between 18th and 19th Sts. NW

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It was a wonderful day in Washington DC today - for those who believe in marriage equality, that is. It was historic, a turning point. In ten years people will look back and wonder what the fuss was about, but right now, this is big.

I remember that, during the early 1960s, seeing a black/white couple was shocking. Now no one would blink an eye, at least not in the places I've lived for the last thirty years. And so it will be for couples of all types, no matter their gender or sexual preferences. God bless America. Jacob Needleman is correct about the nature of our experiment with democracy, that it requires inner work for us to evolve towards the ideals of the founding fathers. It is a work in progress. It was designed to be this way. Hell yeah.

Last year when the Nats were doing so well, the mood in usually dour DC was buoyant. Election night in 2008 was definitely joyful, as was the first inauguration. Some of the finest energy I've experienced in this crazy, powerful, beautiful, wounded city was the day of the Rally to Restore Sanity. That was a great day, too.

The energy here today went beyond buoyant, beyond festive. It was a circus, a par-tay atmosphere on the streets of Capitol Hill. There were rainbow teeshirts and flags and pink triangles and interesting clothing choices. I saw lots of crazy hair cuts and colors today. You hardly ever see that in DC. Sweet!

I got out and about, though I skirted the edge of the party energy down at the Court. It was too much for me today. I recognized that and steered a wide arc around the energy. A few years ago that would never have happened, but I'm mellowing out in early old age.

You didn't have to be in the center of the crowd in front of the Court to feel the energy. It was palpable. A wonderful day, a fleeting moment of perfection. Life is good and I am grateful.

Shalom.



*The title of the post is a mantra I woke up repeating this morning, over and over. It was woven into seemingly unrelated dreams. I kept repeating it over and over all night. It seemed important. Though poetic, I'm not clear it's as significant as I thought this morning.