January 20, 2009. Bethesda, Md. Inauguration Day

It was a special day in Washington. The Mall was full of two Million people. Almost eight hundred thousand people used the Metro. Almost everyone in town watched from the comfort of their home. At the office, when we usually have one hundred agents at the sales meeting we had twenty five, so we used our conference rooms for the meeting and held an intimate brainstorming session. The weather on the Mall was cold too , so in addition to the crowds of people and the crowded subways you had to put up with trying to keep warm. But no matter the stress and difficulty, many of our agents wanted to be part of the action down town. The spirit in the town is alive. It is really quite a remarkable weekend. Now the agents are wandering back to the office, trying to get warm. One of our staff person got to work at 1:30, after leaving for home at ten o'clock. The Red line, which she normally uses, was closed when a man fell in front of a train and her car was trapped. So she waited. Now the rest of the people on the Mall will watch the parade, after they have thawed out. I am so glad I was not down on the Mall today.

The transfer of authority to the next President is always so impressive, especially when you see how other countries struggle with the transition. I have lived here for almost forty years, and as the President is sworn in every four years, I have seen many inaugurations. This one is different. Every one knows that this is different and wants to see the story unroll right before their eyes. I certainly wish the new President well. We certainly do not need him to be a failure. I was trying to remember how many agents took part in the inauguration in times past. I quite frankly can not remember the agents being involved at all in the past. But this year was different and special and was clear to even me!!