Expectations and fulfillments

We drive through D.C., and I am feeling disappointed, my head filled with thoughts of all the amazing things I didn't get to see. So much left unseen and undone ...

But there, suddenly and unexpectedly, is the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts - that beautiful building, its gold trim shining in the sun. My heart is buoyed.

And there! The Watergate complex. How many books did I read about the Watergate scandal throughout junior high and high school? A minor obsession for a time. I'm pretty excited!

And again! Out the car's side window is that emblematic memorial of the capture of Iwo Jima - the raising of the flag. Books, movies, songs - all memorializing the event in truth and in myth. I used to know all the names of those flag raisers. So cool to see it!

Wonders in my eyes, leapings of my heart, joy as we pass by.

So much to see and do. Too much for 3 short days. Yet my heart is full with the experiences we did have.

Our first day, there was a major protest at the Lincoln Memorial, and although the loud, jostling crowds in some ways detracted from our personal experience and ability to access the monuments, it was a wonderful and amazing experience to see democracy at work - to see and hear so many people exercising their right to free speech.

And as we walked down Constitution Ave., one building after another drew our eyes, the buildings' names etched in stone summoning up awe and respect - Department of Justice, National Archives, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, and on and on. These buildings, this city, designed to awe those visiting.

One evening we took a detour to the Dupont Circle metro stop hoping to find a local place to grab a snack. And what did we find when we examined the map before riding that long escalator up and out into the late afternoon? Well, we were just blocks from the Indonesian Embassy! My heart thrilled as we quickened our pace and found the entrance. Oh, my home flag flying high and proud! My picture taken in front of the gates, and a few tears shed for my dad who loved Indonesia as much as I do.

And on our last day, as we walked from one museum to another, we unexpectedly passed the National Archives, and decided to go in. And there, in the dim rotunda, were those icons of our nation - the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights. The actual documents, the ink fading, some of the signatures still legible, iconic, conjuring up the stories of our history. Quite amazing.

So, ok, I didn't get to see everything I wanted to. Who ever does? And in 3 days, we actually did quite a bit. Especially considering the major surgery I had just a couple months ago. I left feeling full and satisfied, thrilled with all we did see. A wonderful time!

As Tim said to me with the cutest smile on his face, quoting Forrest Gump: I'm glad we were here together in our nation's capital.