As many of you undoubtedly heard, this is the closing line of the inaugural poem, “The Hill We Climb,” written and read by Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman at President Joseph R. Biden’s inauguration yesterday.
My grand plan for January 20, Inauguration Day in the U.S., was to watch the inaugural ceremony, conveniently broadcast in the early morning hours here on the West Coast, then to turn my attention to the day’s work, including writing this week’s Thursday Thrive Bite.
Yet, with the exception of a morning meeting, I wasn’t able tear myself away from the day’s events. President Joe Biden’s walk to the White House, the swearing-in of three new U.S. Senators by Vice President and President of the Senate, Kamala Harris, President Biden swearing in his new staff via zoom, the first of the newly reinstated daily press briefings with Press Secretary Jen Psaki, the attention to pandemic protocols in every forum, the call for unity against white supremacy and systemic racism, a renewed commitment to the business of governance, and so much more.
So I decided to honor my desire to celebrate this day of joy and hope in the United States of America, and I’ll be back next week with why I think we need to ditch the pursuit of happiness.
Looking forward,
Judith