Day 441

People who work on Capitol Hill joke that the first day of a Congressional Session is like the first day of school. You wake up early (or at least sans the snooze button) to wash and blowout your hair...no ponytail today! Take that extra minute to curl your eyelashes. Put your best suit on, just back from the cleaners. And don't forget your power pearls! The tour busses line up around the corner, and you smile as you pull past security and into "Senior Lot"--the Capitol drive.

You grab some coffee just before the Senate convening bell rings and the chaos begins...Secret Service stop you in the hallway to make sure you're wearing your "hallpass", just as Mr. Vice President and the rest of the cool older kids zip past you, looming down the hallway to greet the new Senator...a break between meetings finds you gossiping with the girls about the cute new Press Secretary...another period and you're listening to a Senator lecture while watching the clock tick down to...Lunchtime! As you hustle to the cafeteria (the one and only day you don't eat at your desk), you run into friend after friend, catching up on their breaks, vowing to get drinks later...and then the day continues just as it started.

I love the first day of school. So much hope and ambition for getting the job done right this year (only straight A's for me this Congress). So much energy and excitement in the air. Mouths are buzzing about the big debate last night. Reporters are digging for the next big story. Everyone wants to be the problem solver, the watchdog, the next big thing, the savior of our great Nation. The headlines are more of the same: "Get out of the recession, get out of the race, get out of my limelight, get out of the war. Save the planet, feed the hungry, befriend the lonely, comfort the poor." The protesters fight outside the walls and the workaholics fight within. But we all do it because we believe in something greater than ourselves; so that if just one person is touched by the work we do, then it's all worth it. And if a movement is made, more believers are created.

So maybe my first day back to work from vacation isn't the norm. It's an honor and a privilege to walk into a part of history every single day. It's hard work, yes, but regardless of my occasional gripes, I feel blessed to work as I do. Dad always said, "It's not really a job if you love what you do. That's the beauty of my life...I wake up everyday to go do what I love. It doesn't get much better than this." Thanks dad, for instilling that in me. Some days I have my doubts, but know you're at least leading me down the right path.


Work Sweet Work