Washington, D.C.

Every time I go to Washington, D.C., I feel like a touristy geek.

Arlington National Cemetery takes my breath away. The U.S. Capitol impressed me with its grandeur. The Washington Monument amazes me with its size. Seeing Abraham Lincoln’s statue watch over the city is stunning. Standing on the spot at the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech fills me with awe.  Walking through the Vietnam Memorial reminds me of war’s cost. The World War 2 memorial reminds me why they must be fought. The Constitution reminds me how special our form of government is.

In a city full of heartburn-causing politicians, I still manage to get inspired.

Why? Because I can find golden nuggets of history to remind me of our country’s greatness — and durability. How we’ve overcome worse than what we are going through right now. We survived the bloodbath of the Civil War so our current political divisions are child’s play in comparison. Our ancestors pulled through recessions and depressions as deep or deeper than this one.  We can dig our way out of our mounting debt crisis.

Looking at the statues on the Mall, I know that great leaders appear in our time of crisis.  (Guess we should alert Union Station, Reagan National and Dulles Airports  in case they show up soon.)

I walked over to the Supreme Court Building. In all my trips to Washington, I had never seen it.  I stood there and thought of all the great thinkers who’ve worked there. I walked next door and admired the Library of Congress and was awed at the immense collection of knowledge housed under their roof.

Visit the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum if you doubt what we are capable of when we dream.

I sat and watched the bureaucrats scurry around Capitol Hill.  It reminded me of a kicked-over Fire Ant nest. Members of the military and civilians were teeming everywhere. They were buzzing to their next committee meetings and votes. It’s the unsexy daily grunt work required to govern. It was like peering into our great democracy’s heart as it beat.

And there were reminders of terrorism threat, too — barriers, chains and guards with assault rifles ringed the Capitol.  Unfortunately, it’s all a sign on the troubled times in which we live.

When we took off from Reagan National yesterday, the last thing I saw was the silent sentinels looking over the city.  As the plane’s shadow passed over the graves in Arlington, I thought about all the sacrifices the men and women below made so we can enjoy the freedoms we have.  I thought one more time about the city whose history inspires me so.  And then I was thankful to be headed back home so I wouldn’t become jaded.