5 Breathtaking Moments of the 2021 Inauguration

Before I begin, this post is not about politics, a side, or parties. This post is about my feelings yesterday while witnessing certain moments after a year of discontent through the pandemic. The pandemic is far from over, but it was the first time I went to bed with a smile on my face and woke up with one since last spring.

My entire life, I’ve always heard: “I just want peace and love for this world.” It’s what we all want, of course. It isn’t always easy to come by though.

Yesterday, my social media feeds were flooding with happy posts, pictures, moments captured throughout the day, and I realized how big of an effect it had on my day. I didn’t notice how harmful constant negativity can be to a mood, even if it’s just on social media. But hey, maybe I’m sensitive and choose to see only rainbows and sunshine :).

If you enjoyed the events of yesterday, you might like this list too. These moments are an addition to the obvious focus of the day (#femalempowerment)!

1. Amanda Gorman - She stole my breath with her words. Her poise, theatrics, and stature only illuminated the artful words. I had to listen and read the poem several more times after watching because I felt like I had missed pieces that couldn’t be left out. Every word she spoke was perfectly crafted and picturesque. As a writer, I crave to hear the art in words, and to see so much talent at just twenty-two is incredible. If you missed her moment, you can check it out below. She also has overcome many challenges throughout her life, which only made this performance ten times better for me (You can see the interview here :) ).

2. The tears of joy . I know this is generalized, and there were so many instances, but every tear I saw made me tear up out of happiness. Again, without the involvement of politics, watching people experience their dreams coming true is the most incredible feeling. There was such a strong feeling of unity and lack of diversity. It was like a cold glass of water after being thirsty for way too long.

3. The fashion . There was such a sense of class, modernizing vintage styles that brought me a sense of nostalgia to a time before I was born. I yearn to live in a world where everyone has reasons to dress their best and feel like a million bucks. However, I say this from the comfort of my hoodie and yoga pants haha. I also learned why the former first ladies were wearing purple—it’s a symbol of uniting two sides and being impartial, as a symbol to the country. I thought it was beautiful to learn this little fact.

Even with masks, everyone looked their best, and you can see they felt the same by just the look in their eyes.

4. John Legend covering Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good.’ Oh my. I’ve always been a big fan of John Legend, but he blew this song out of the water last night, and watching him perform in front of the Lincoln Memorial was just incredibly iconic. All of the artists were incredible yesterday, but for me, he stole the show.

5. Tom Hanks —America’s dad, Forrest Gump, Truman … I was wondering if we were a part of his Truman show (my mind likes to play tricks on me in the middle of the night ;) ). The irony of that thought kept me up at 4:00 am. Then, I got to thinking about how iconic it was for him (as Forrest Gump) to be hosting the inauguration events while standing where Forrest Gump stood while “witnessing” the earlier era of history. Between Hanks and the fireworks, it was the most entertainment I could have asked for over the last year.

I needed to feel hope yesterday, and regardless of politics and sides of a party, I will remain neutral, open-minded, and try to understand everyone’s legal views. I want nothing more than happiness in this country, and we saw it all yesterday. I hope this is the start of a new era and togetherness.

Please share the love! <3 - Shari (www.sharijryan.com/blog)