Feeling Blue

Late last night - actually, early this morning - a strange thing happened.

As I lounged on my sofa somewhere in suburban Indianapolis, leafing through a travel magazine, I suddenly felt the oddest chill... It started in my shoulders, then quite literally sent shivers down my spine. For some time after that, I felt tingly all over, yet strangely warm at the same time. It was an unprecedented feeling, which startled me enough that I actually took a moment to assess the situation and check the time - you know, in case it would be helpful later to the ER staff.

It was 2:07 am, Eastern time.

I suppose it's possible that my chills were due to the cool fall breeze blowing in through my open window. Or perhaps I was finally coming down with that nasty cold that everyone else around here has had recently. But I don't think so.

As it turns out, 2:07 was the exact moment that MSNBC announced that the projected winner of Indiana's electoral votes for the 2008 presidential election was... Barack Obama.

See - there are those chills again!

There are no words to adequately sum up how it feels to finally see my home state turn blue... I still get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it. It's not something I ever thought I'd live to see - and it's more beautiful than I could have possibly imagined. If only that blueness had spilled over into the governor's race... But even Mitch "C. Montgomery Burns" Daniels can't spoil this momentous occasion for me.

And how about that speech, huh?

This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can.

Finally, after 44 years in the wilderness, we Hoosiers who long for peace and justice and equality and social responsibility have reason to also say: Yes We Can.

And now the chills are back.