This morning my son and I got in the car to head for school. The first thing he said was, "Obama is going to paint the white house black."

"No," I replied. "He's going to paint it the color of the people."

I went on to explain how Obama was elected by the people not because he is black but because he talked to the people and inspired them. I went off on a tangent about how McCain and Bush did not represent the interest of the people-us included. I told him to remember this day and then I took the opportunity to talk to him about hard work and sacrifice, telling him how Obama could have made a lot of money but instead he chose to work in his community. At one point I did something which significance did not hit me until later in the day. I compared myself to president-elect Obama-never in my life have i compared myself to a president... I never missed it either (i don't know if i'm ready to wear it. it feels like an ill-fitted outfit... almost a little disingenuous-but the point is, my son will one day do it with a clear conscience). I told my son Obama went to college not in pursuit of money but knowledge- knowledge which he used to help his community. I told him how I am not focused on making money either, that in fact in the beginning my sole reason for going to college was just to show him that it was possible. And the last thing I told him was the world was his and that he could have anything in it as long as he was willing to work for it.