Someone please peel me off the floor

because I am so blown away that I am lying here flattened. And I mean that in a very good way. The best possible way to be knocked to the ground.



Did you see Michelle Obama's speech last night? Did you really watch it? Did you listen to it? Did you feel it?

I knew it would be good, because I have been impressed by her before. She's genuine, well spoken, passionate, and inspiring when she speaks. But last night was so ridiculously beyond what any tiny little fragment of my brain could have mustered up in its imagination good that I have lost any words to describe its awesomeness. And every time I try to write about how amazing I think the speech was or how incredible she is, I start to cry again. So I can't see what I'm writing through the blur of my tears, besides the fact that I am lying here on the floor trying to get up and can barely manage to reach the keyboard with the one hand that I have gotten unstuck, let alone see the screen. Thank goodness I was holding the TV remote when I fell because it ended up right next to me and I was able to rewind and watch a few times (no less than 4, maybe more).

So what do I really want to say about the amazing awesomeness of Michelle Obama and her speech last night? Because if you saw it, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you didn't, get thee to YouTube immediately and do whatever you have to to catch even a shard of what she said. Because you will be inspired beyond your wildest dreams.

What I want to say is that I have always been for Obama, even in the early days of the primary. Forget a president that I feel like I can hang out and have a beer with. That is what got us stuck with the guy that's in the oval office right now. But this family? I want my kids to grow up living next door to these people! I want them to come over on Sundays for a backyard barbecue and a swim in the pool. These are people that practice the values every day that I want my life to be about. So last night only made my desire for an Obama presidency stronger.

What I want to say is that listening to Michelle last night talk with so much passion and conviction about her and her husband's dreams for our country (not for themselves, no selfish personal aspirations to get to the White House) made me want so much more for my own life, for my family. I want to be a better wife, a better mother, a better sister, daughter, friend. I want to deserve the love and admiration that my husband and kids have for me. I want to volunteer for a cause. I want to aspire to greatness in my everyday life with the people that I have around me. I want to be a good person. I just want to be better. If we all wanted that? Now there's change we can believe in.

That kind of ass-kicking I can handle for 8 years. Even if it means that I am occasionally reduced to flatness on the floor. Because I know when I'm finally able to get up, I will be better. So much better.

Edit: Hey, I just got this email from the Obama campaign! (Nicely said, Barack.) Anyway, you can watch her speech here if you missed it last night:

Becky --I am so lucky to be married to the woman who delivered that speech last night. Michelle was electrifying, inspiring, and absolutely magnificent. I get a lot of credit for the speech I gave at the 2004 convention -- but I think she may have me beat. You have to see it to believe it. You really don't want to miss this. And I'm not just saying that because she's my wife -- I truly believe it was the best speech of the campaign so far.
--Barack