January the 20th

Colorado Springs, Colo. (2:33 p.m. EST)(12:33 p.m. MST)

Quiet, dark living room. Television is at the center. Nine adults, mid-twenties to mid-sixties, sit around, transfixed by the images on the screen. A toddler, aged 21 months, buzzes around, excited by the energy in the room, the company of others and hands out tissues.

As President Obama takes the oath, there are sighs, sniffles and smiles. Then, President Obama takes to the podium and the room quiets and stills even more. No one comments; sighs and sniffles continues with his words. When President Obama mentions different religions, including non-followers, one woman cheers, "yes!" Another man claps. As the speech ends, there is clapping, laughing, sighing, smiling and turning of heads. People linger, watching the TV, yet also becoming engaged with each other, wanting to share the shared experience. In their faces: giddiness and relief, hope and seriousness, hugs, pats and cheers.

Aspen Community School, Woody Creek, Colo. (1:12 p.m. EST, 11:12 a.m. MST)

First and second graders at the Aspen Community School are gathered around the class computer. The patchy feed frustrates some, but others say "that's just what the Internet does. It'll come back soon." The intermittent shots of Aretha Franklin's flashy hat elicit six-year-old giggles.

"I like her voice."

"I've seen her before."

"Hey! There's Barack Obama!"

Fourteen pairs of eyes light up as the recognizable hero comes on the screen. I am amazed at the number of students who do indeed recognize this man. It is clear that some students have talked at home with their parents about the inauguration, and they try to explain what's going on to their classmates:

"There's the giant book."

"When he says those words, then he's president."

"Hear all that clapping? He's the president now."

The attention span of these six and seven-year-olds wavers throughout President Obama's speech, but a few stick it out. When it's done, they all stand up and clap.

The next comment I heard? "Phew! That was a lot of people, a lot of speaking and a lot of clapping. When's snack?"

Recovery Resource Center, Boulder, Colo.(12:13 p.m. EST, 10:13 a.m. MST)

The phones are ringing off the hook and the Recovery Resource center has fallen behind in our daily schedule. My boss's promise to watch the inauguration via the internet has been revoked. Currently looking up visa information for Peru for an ongoing project. A lonely gold fish swims around in its tank in front of me...

Recovery Resource Center, Boulder, Colo. (11:19 a.m. EST, 9:19 a.m. MST)

The Recovery Resource Center office is silent with exception of the white noise coming from the air conditioner. Office manager informs me of our 10:00 a.m. break to watch inauguration via the internet. Receive call from a mother worried mother in Los Angeles who has not seen her son in days. Her son has been unemployed for some time. He has switched from pot to coke to meth. She is hoping we can help her find an interventionist...