At 5pm today, I saw something that I will likely never see again in my lifetime.  And just before midnight I saw another.  The first was the Cornell Men’s Basketball team destroying the 4th seed Wisconsin Badgers to move on to the sweet 16.  After nearly beating Kansas (the#1 team in the country) earlier this year and then being ranked as a top 25 team in the country we knew this was a strong team.  But really?  We’re going to the sweet 16?  I honestly couldn’t fathom Cornell making the tournament for the past 20 years.  And now we’re the Cinderella team being covered by ESPN, Sports Illustrated and nearly every major news organization.  When I decided to attend Cornell as an undergrad, it was with some disappointment that I wouldn’t have a sports team to follow.  Well, today I wore my Big Red t-shirt with pride.  Go Big Red!

The second historic moment was a vote to pass major healthcare legislation.  Whatever your political persuasion,  we have gone 50 years without a much needed change to our healthcare system.  And if nothing else, this day marks a step towards increased coverage and care for those with pre-existing conditions.  This isn’t the ideal solution, but it’s a step in a political environment where steps seem nearly impossible.  And despite all the anger from the past year, it will be interesting to see how this day is portrayed and discussed in my son’s high school history book.   My guess is it will be a very positive portrayal and a defining moment in the Obama presidency.    And I’ll look forward to trying to explain the confusing paragraph in his book about the “Tea Party.”

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