It’s going to sound silly, but . . .

It’s going to sound silly, but last night I dreamt I was singing. Awesome, joyful, soulful singing about some sort of song of finally being free. I also dreamt I was getting ready to perform again for Pippin/Godspell, and I couldn’t remember the opening words to my solo as Grandma Bertha: “It’s time to start livin”

I woke up, and remembered the words:

Oh, it’s time to start livin’
Time to start taking from this world I’m given
Time to take time, cause spring will turn to fall
In just no time at all.

Anyway, I didn’t really think of my singing dream until the inauguration started, and Aretha started singing. Nah, hadn’t been singing “My Country Tis’ of Thee” in my dream. But it did make me wonder who was really singing in the dream. Was it just me? Or was the country singing and I was joining along? I’ll never know, and I’ll never claim to know. I like to think that the joy we’re feeling today is tangible, communicable even. And I’m glad to share it, waking or sleeping.

I watched the inauguration in the main lecture hall of the Microbial Sciences Building. There was cheering and clapping throughout, but my favorite outburst was in response to Obama’s claim that we will make decisions based on facts and data, to which someone cheered “DATA! YEAH!” We scientists have been waiting to hear that for some time.