State of the Union 2012

One year ago, I was sitting on the steps in the Gallery of the House of Representatives. The room was filled with the members of both of the House and the Senate. All 9 judges from the Supreme Court were in attendance. The Secretary of State and other members of the President's Cabinet were there. The Vice President was there. All of those big-wigs were on the floor of the chamber. The First Lady was seated in the wing of the gallery to my right, and most others had seats in the gallery. I counted myself lucky to be seated on the stairs, fighting for space among camera men who flitted in and out. And there I was, watching the President give his State of the Union address. I could listen without anyone around me cracking jokes or arguing with the TV screen. No TV commentators. I sat, listened, and for the first time really ever, paid close attention to the contents of the speech in its entirety. It was one of those "DC moments" that I experienced now and then throughout my time in DC. Something I got to do that most people probably don't (or maybe that most people don't even want to do). But it was things like that which I consider to be a special part of my life in DC. It was through opportunities such as being live in attendance to the State of the Union which I will never forget and that I certainly grew from, in some small way.

This year, of course, I am in Germany-- approximately 6,000 miles away from the chamber of the House of Representatives. No helicopters will be buzzing over my house this year. I'll have to show no badge or ticket to anyone. I likely won't hear much about it tomorrow when I wake up (although, these Germans like to stay informed, so who knows) other than through my Facebook feed. But I'll be up. I'll be awake at 3am to watch it stream live over the internet. I will transport myself back to that chamber and listen to the words that will be spoken. I will do my best to come to my own conclusions about what will be said, and I'll remember how special it was to have been there.

Whether the President's policies are those you support or those with which you vehemently disagree, I encourage you to listen in tonight! I'm sure many networks will stream coverage, or certainly replay coverage tomorrow, but I know the White House link is also planning to show the charts, statistics, and other info that the President and his team have based some of this speech on tonight. Might be interesting to see.