I was at the grocery for seltzer and spinach.
I wasn’t planning to buy the Oprah Magazine,
But Michelle Obama was on the cover with Oprah and that was a big deal because Oprah has appeared on the cover alone (or with her dogs) for 105 issues.
“EXCLUSIVE FIRST INTERVIEW from the WHITE HOUSE,” the cover read.
And I was sold.
*
And so that’s why I’m on the subway, reading O’s interview with Michelle– I don’t have to call her First Lady, do I?; I feel like we’re on familiar, less formal terms–and I don’t know it yet, but I’m about to start crying.
She talks about White House pie (sinfully good, available at any hour) and furniture (needs to be livable–gotta be able to build a fort out of White House pillows!), but most of all, she talks about people.
And what she says sounds familiar and moving because it’s the refrain of the Obama campaign that we know was more than a sound bite: “This–all of it– is about the people.”
“How are you a different woman today than you were when Barack Obama announced his candidacy in 2007?” Oprah asks.
Michelle replies:
“I’m more optimistic. More hopeful. It comes from traveling all over America and connecting with so many different people…. This was the kindness of strangers. I think we should all have to get to know one another around kitchen tables. It changed me. It’s helped me to give other people the benefit of the doubt…. I saw our shared values. We fundamentally want the same things for ourselves and each other….People value their communities. They’re rooting for one another….”
*
And that’s what makes me cry. I know that feeling of traveling and connecting–over hot tortillas in Teotitlan del Valle, Mexico, over thimble size shots of coffee and compact, hand shaped arepas steaming on almendra leaves on the side of the road in Mompox, Colombia, over a hot pot in Fuzhou, China, where 7 people I don’t know are all dipping their chopsticks into the bubbling broth.
It’s why I travel, I suppose–to sit down with people over food and connect, and in that act, to be changed.
Photo: Dawn Endico
I finished the interview, closed the magazine, and tucked it into my bag. I smiled at the woman sitting across from me and she returned the smile. I thought about what it might be like if we all met around kitchen tables…with a good slice of pie to share between us.
Community Connection:
What’s a travel moment that has changed you, compelling you to give other the benefit of the doubt or recognize your shared values and needs? Share your experiences below.
About the Author
More By This Author
- Nat Geo's Garbage Moguls (2 comments)
- Sierra Club accepting applications for "Best Internship on Earth" (3 comments)
- Google's PowerMeter calculates your energy use (2 comments)
Related Posts
9 Comments... join the discussion!
-
-
I'm crying too. I'm crying over the fiasco that Mrs.Obama's husband just made of the state visit by the PM of our closest and most loyal ally, Great Britain. I'm crying over the fact that this major foreign policy gaffe received no mention in the mainstream press as if we were living in a dictatorship and there was some sort of censorship in force. I'm crying over the overtures that he has made to terrorists and countries that support terrorism ("Moderate Talibans?" please!! The Afghans got a good laugh over that one.) because I truly fear for the fate of our one true ally and the only democracy in the middle east…Israel. I'm crying because of the projected multi-trillion dollar deficit that he had a hand in creating and will make even worse, will be placed on the backs of people like me who came from nothing, never turned away a client based on ability to pay, and worked their butts off all their lives so they could now be called (derisively) "rich" as if the rewards of a life of hard work are now a sin. Not all of us were lucky enough to get a nice talk show gig like Oprah. I'm crying because what's left of my retirement and my children's college fund will be taxed away on pork or to pay the mortgages of people who couldn't afford to buy their houses to begin with. I'm laughing because you actually buy this populist nonsense that Mrs. Obama spouts in this interview.
↵ -
Gary- Thanks for expressing yourself so effectively– sarcasm really advances meaningful conversations. I actually did hear quite a bit of coverage over the, as you put it, "fiasco that Mrs. Obama's husband just made of the state visit by the PM of our closest and most loyal ally…." I suppose you're referring to the fact that he bought DVDs as a gift and a toy plane for the Brown kids. While that's clearly gauche, I'd hardly classify the poor taste in gifts as a "fiasco." I heard the coverage and thought, "Wow, this huffing and puffing about dumb gifts doesn't do much to start a conversation about what, exactly, the US would like to see Obama do in our relationship with Brown and Britain." So yes, I buy the populist "nonsense." Because the past eight years of governance in this country sure didn't put us in a much better position and I, for one, am willing to take a chance on a different approach. I'm willing to believe that conversation advances real possibilities and real change.
↵ -
Well said, Julie. I don't really understand how any of the feelings expressed in your post could bring forth such a derisive rant. The post evoked memories of the Golden Girls for me… sitting around the kitchen table eating cheesecake.
↵ -
Don't cry, Gary. You've still got Rush.
↵ -
Wasn’t that just heart warming. Another dirt-bag politician in the white house. He’s no better than Bush. Oh, but Obama’s so GOOD at sticking to his teleprompter! Let us rejoice. But he’s “change”, right? No, sheople, he is not. Look who he chose for his cabinet. CHANGE?!!! How about all the unconstitutional, or should I say, ANTI- Constitutional garbage Bush put into effect. Obama’s obviously not repealing it. If he is, then WHAT THE HELL is he waiting for? That’s what I thought. But there are still those mindless drones that insist on worshiping him. Apparently he can do no wrong. The sheep condemn Bush when he sends more troops to the middle east, but how many did Obama just send? His supporters are a bunch of two-faced hypocrites.
↵ -
If Obama wants to provide America with REAL, beneficial CHANGE, he can start by recalling ALL U.S. troops WORLDWIDE and putting an end to the intrusive AMERICAN EMPIRE. THAT will put an end to the terrorist threat, save countless lives, AND save the U.S. TRILLION$. And END ALL foreign financial aid. WE are NOT the world baby-sitter. Do this(minding our OWN business) and we will have far fewer enemies.
↵ -
Michelle Obama is very charismatic just like her husband and it is the reason why i like her. I also feel that she could connect with people more easily than any other first ladies.
↵ -
I saw Michelle Obama in person and she is really a very tall Lady. She is also a very charming and charismatic woman just like his husband.
↵
