I arrived in Washington, DC today and after dropping off my bags in the hotel, made my way to the Mall. I’ve only been to our nation’s capital one other time and it was a short visit. This wouldn’t be much different but I still wanted to see some of the high points. There was not time for museums or tours so I walked from one end of the Mall to the other. I saw the high points and was thrilled to get close to Lincoln’s statue, and the National Christmas Tree.
I walked around the White House, which was a thrill. After watching all 7 seasons of West Wing a dozen time, it was exciting to actually see the place depicted in the TV series.
One of the best moments of the entire day was a chance “walk-by” of a young couple. It happened twice. The first was near the World War II Monument. The man was a strapping 6′ 5″ black man. He was strong and tall and had a lovely woman walking beside him, their arms linked. She was on a cell phone and as they passed, she told the person on the other line, “We’ve had a great time…And he proposed this morning!” He leaned down and kissed her and they both beamed with joy.
As I walked toward the Lincoln Monument, I passed them again. This time, without the cell phone, she was speaking to him, almost analyzing the events, “Because doing it on Christmas Day would have been so cliche.” He nodded, as if knowing this all along.
This time I was the one smiling.
