I Have A Dream

I’m back! Kind of. My sleepless nights have left me with plenty of time to think about Tomica and the many fun times that we had together. EVERY day Facebook pops up memories and sends me down a trail. But Facebook didn’t have to prompt my memories today. I think of these memories every time the news is on. They send me back to eight years ago when we attended President Obama’s second inauguration.

When I said I wanted to go to the inauguration, my ride or die travel buddies were all in. We researched and found a hotel that fit our budget. We always ball on a budget. And in the spirit of good budgeting, we decided to drive 15 hours there with no breaks. I always get the early morning shift whenever we are driving somewhere because I’m a morning person. The driver chooses the music. That’s just the rule. Baby, I sang myself happy while the people in my car slept. Well, I thought they were asleep. Then I heard Tomica say, “I guess you trying to take us to the king with Tamala huh?”

When everyone in the car really woke up for the day, Tomica decided that we needed to play “Name That Tune.” Music was her passion. She could talk about it for hours. She loved a wide variety of music. Not so for me. I can tell you about gospel music and R&B songs from the 90’s and early 2000’s and that’s about it. She would play a bit of the song and then be dumbfounded when I didn’t know what it was.

We made it to D.C. in no time. And immediately got caught up in the vibe of the city. There was a joyous spirit in the air, and it was contagious. We were there to be a part of history. Even though there were massive crowds, people were courteous and polite. No pushing or shoving. Just lots of smiles and laughter. We enjoyed going to the monuments. We had a blast using the subway to maneuver through the city.

On the actual day of the inauguration, we had to be up and out before the sun even peeked its head out. We bundled up to protect ourselves from the cold. Thermals, sweaters, gloves, headwraps, winter coats, scarves, and heating pads. We left no room for even an inch of cold. We were on our feet in the cold for hours and did not complain. We were just glad to be there. It was a dream fulfilled.

Now I am trying to take that same joy and drive into my everyday life. And it’s difficult. While I am so happy that Tomica has gone from labor to reward, I have to build new dreams and a life that does not have her in it. Before you say that she’s with me in spirit, I get that. I hear her voice all the time. But I miss her presence. And her help. We functioned like a fine tuned machine.

Looks like you get to travel with me through this journey. This trip that I never planned. And I suppose that you get to be my new ride or die travel buddies since one of my buddies actually died. I can already tell that this is going to be a long ride. I’m just hoping that we get some good laughs along the way. That the joy in the atmosphere is contagious. And that when we reach the end of this journey that it is a dream fulfilled. #wepreach