how did we get so lucky?

i was just reading an article on CNN about Michelle Obama's power and reach. it extends so far beyond America, so far beyond our borders, that it is even a bit hard to comprehend. ladies in far away lands, ones in which women have very few (if any) rights, ones in which darker skin is looked down upon and seen as a sign of weakness (imagine?), they now have Michelle Obama to look at and think, 'that could be me one day'.

today is Barack Obama's 100th day in the White House. for my generation, this is only the 2nd-4th time that we were even allowed to vote for the president, and we already have a black President. how extraordinary- and we are just beginning. Hilary Clinton was a great example of a powerful woman role model- she just ran at the wrong time. the world needed Barack at this moment in time.

if you look at the strides this country has made so far- Obama, more and more states gradually accepting same-sex marriages, etc- it excites me to think about what is next. sure, there are many more problems and many many hurdles to go through. but for my peers, we're so young. and this country has already made so many great strides just in our lifetime. look at how far we've come.

imagine by the time our children are our ages? they might never know the horrors of extreme racisim, when people were literally relegated to sit in certain sections of public transportation. I certainly have never experienced that in my lifetime- and it was happening about 50 years ago. our grandparents have seen SO much change.. from our country's morals, to technology, to women's rights... everything. imagine our kids growing up and simply thinking that gay marriage is perfectly fine? them not having to fight for the right to simply love? them growing up and not racial-profiling, or thinking that someone is different from them simply because of the color of their skin? how silly is that.. someone's skin pigment does not define them as a person.

there's still a lot to be fixed, America. but there's a lot that has been done already. i'm optimistic for the next 23 years.