The entire inauguration event was a lesson in surviving not just the physical conditions but the mind. Could you survive in unthinkable conditions and still keep your peace? Were you prepared? The first challenge was withstanding 20 degree weather for 7 hours—everyone knew this was coming and tried to plan appropriately. I myself was bundled in 7 layers and looked like a distant cousin to the Michelin man. The second challenge was maneuvering in a huge crowd like nothing that has ever been seen; Wall to wall people. I remember getting off the train platform at Federal Center SW and being so packed together on the platform that it was hard to breathe. And yet, it was amazing in such a crowd that no one tried to push and everyone used their manners as they said, “please,” “thank you,” “Excuse Me,” and “I’m Sorry” to maneuver past you. The third challenge was not drinking water to keep from using the Porta Johns. Yes folks—using the Porta Johns was truly an experience I wanted to live without. But if you were unlucky enough to have to answer natures call then it was most assuredly a 2 hour wait as a few of the Georgetown girls found out who were standing close to me. The forth challenge was not anticipated. It was surviving the heat. Yes—you heard me. I said HEAT. On the way back from the inauguration I (and several hundred of my new close friends) got caught in the Mall underneath L’Enfant Plaza for about 3 hours. There were literally inches between me and the people in front of me.
The crowd was at a standstill and held there for hours as to not cause a stamped on the Metro Platform below. Only a few people were being let down to the platform at a time and the crowd did not know what was going on so there was mass speculation. In the tight conditions it was tough to take off the hats and jackets that had protected us against the 20 degree weather hours before. Now these items were suffocating people and the sweat just poured down your back. Four people passed out. One girl was 3 people away as she fainted into the arms of several strangers. She was spirited away to one of the stores on the side with all of her possessions. It was astounding how nice everyone was even in these conditions. Although, people were still making new friends and trying their best to survive the hours on their feet in unbearably heat, complaining started to trickle into the masses. “They should have prepared for this!” “What if there is a fire down here?” Some of the complaints were legitimate, but the complaining always took the form of blaming someone else for the current difficulties or dealt with the unknown outcome of our fate. The crowd under L’Enfant reminded me of the Israelites complaining to God in the desert after they had just escaped from Egypt and experienced the miracle of the parting of the red sea. Everyone in that crowd had just experienced the miracle of the inauguration of the first Black President in the history of the United States. It was a wow moment for sure. But here we were complaining less hours after witnessing that spectacular event. It is astounding how insidious the ego can be and how fast it can rob us of our inner peace.
As we rounded the corner to the Metro Platform, a very stoic religious woman said to no one in particular, “We need to be grateful! God says be grateful in all things—not just when it is convenient for us; But when times are bad too. Even in the most adverse conditions it is proper to give thanks.” I could not help but admire this woman. She was very wise and helped put things in perspective. It is easy to be thankful when everything is going your way, but we must be thankful when things are not. This is what it means to live in a state of gratitude.
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