Stolen

From an old friend whose blog I found on facebook, who hasn't actually accepted my friend request yet, so I won't bother saying who it is. Apparently he got it in an email from his boss.

One sunny day in 2009 an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue , where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush." The Marine looked at the man and said, "Sir, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here." The old man said, 'Okay' and walked away.

The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush." The Marine again told the man, "Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here." The man thanked him and, again, just walked away.

The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same U. S. Marine, saying "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush." The Marine, somewhat agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush. I've told you already that Mr. Bush is no longer the president and no longer resides here. Don't you understand?" The old man looked at the Marine and said, "Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it."

The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, "See you tomorrow."


I can't wait for inauguration day. Seriously. I don't necessarily think that come the day after we're all going to wake up with better lives, more job security, more money in the bank, better schools, better access to healthcare, any of the things that we on the left leaning side are hoping for in the next four years. But I definitely think it's worth it to continue celebrating and patting ourselves on the back just a little. Think about it, this time four years ago how many of us were seriously starting to think about emigrating? And how many of us were just stuck, staring in open-mouthed awe at the rest of the country that we could no longer believe we were part of? I know that since the new year I've been in a little funk, of sorts, but remembering that in a few short weeks G.W. will be gone, never to return, brightens my funky days just a little bit.