May I have a few with you?

I wake up to wipe the sleep from my eyes. I face another day of responsibilities. As I list my daily doings I realize the "I can't handle this feeling" hasn't exactly gone away yet. But, some of my old habits have snuck quietly into my new DC lifestyle and while it's not exactly second nature, it's the beginning of a routine. 

I had all these thoughts before 7:25 AM on the Friday we went to the Newseum and only one quote from our trip comes to mind:

"Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision. Their goals differed, but they all had this in common: that the step was first, the road new, the vision unborrowed, and the response they received, hatred. The great creators, the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors, stood alone against the men of their time. Every great new thought was opposed. Every great new invention was denounced. The first motor was considered foolish. The airplane was considered impossible. The power loom was considered vicious. Anesthesia was considered sinful. But the men of unborrowed vision went ahead. They fought, they suffered and they paid. But they won."

-Ayn Rand

It's a strange juxtaposition, seeing visitors and natives (workers) here in DC. At first, I wanted to be here as a visitor, a vacationer. Now, I want to walk past the faces that stop and smile for the camera. I want to be apart of the 9:00 AM rush to work. 

Seems silly, wanting to be the fast walking cell phone talking group of people who always look a little over dressed. But those people, they are the thinkers, the pushers, the creators. They make all those pretty buildings light up at night with energy-efficient bulbs. They protect the monuments tourists look at with special police. They create open-government policies that allow protestors to get information on the ideas they are protesting. And that, while not easy, comforting, or slow, keeps me waking and walking. 

I am here to make a difference not only for me, but for others. 

One day, when I do want to be tourist somewhere, I can thank those who help make it possible. I can begin to understand that every day is still hard for them, and that even though it will always be a struggle, it's worth it some way. 

Melanie Joy Kaufman