We have a black president-elect. We almost had a female president. We almost had a female vice president.

This is an amazing day, and the meaning of it, the meaning of its historical significance, defies words. It defies eloquence and statements and cadence and words woven poetically together. This is the dawn of a wonderful new America. This is the first time in my life I can truly say my heart is swelling (I can physically feel it!) with pride in my country.

I’m sure that statement alone will lead people to bash me in comments, and do that if you will. But I am telling the truth, and I’m sure I am not alone. Here’s why.

I am part of Generation X. We are a generation of cynics and doubters. I have voted before, sure. But I’ve voted against, not for. I’ve voted to keep someone out, not put someone in. The examples that were set before my generation, as we grew into teen and adulthood while the ’80s turned into the ’90s, made us jaded.

In the ’80s, this is what we learned: power, money, corruption. These are the values that make things happen. Politicians can’t be trusted. In the ’90s, just as I and my fellow X’ers first entered the workforce, a recession hit. It isn’t one that gets talked about much, but I remember it clearly. I remember friends who had college degrees and couldn’t get hired at McDonald’s flipping burgers. This was our welcome to adulthood.

As we matured and evolved into adults, the dot-com bust in the early 2000s hit. We learned that security, especially job security, means very little.

We also don’t tend to be loyal just because we’re supposed to be. We’ve been screwed. We know better. You have to earn it.

In the year 2000, we got one lesson: your vote doesn’t matter. That just reaffirmed our lifelong lesson that there’s little point in caring, or bothering.

In the year 2004, I got another lesson: most people in America seriously were willing to re-elect George Bush despite the overwhelming evidence he is a cancer on this nation. I remember the horrible sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach… that feeling that I really lived in a country where so many people think so differently than I do.

And that’s not because I am a bleeding heart liberal. I have voted Republican before. It was because it was so painfully obvious to me how horrible Bush was for this country, I couldn’t imagine millions of people disagreeing. Most people. More people than not. Wow. That scarred.

I can remember growing up and hearing stories about J.F.K. and I couldn’t quite grasp being that excited about a politician. That inspired. Believing in a leader like that. It was unfathomable.

Today, I get it. I get it. I so get it.

As I watch the news and see the people of the world cheering, as I see the hope this inspires from my home state of North Carolina to people thousands of miles away, I get it.

I have never been excited like I have this whole race, even back from the days of the primaries. I’ve never been so teary-eyed every time a politician speaks. I’ve never felt such hope for the future as I have hearing Barack Obama speak.

I never thought I would live to not only see women running for offices in the White House, but to be at a point that I could comfortably vote against a woman in the White House. Twice. That is true women’s rights, in my mind. If I only blindly voted for Hillary Clinton or Sarah Palin just because they are women, that would be sad.

I know I can’t speak for a generation. I know it’s insane to even attempt to. I’m sure I will get slammed for even daring to consider it. And maybe I am way off-base. Maybe most of us in our 30s now are full of sunshine and hope and fairies and rainbows. Maybe I missed a memo.

I just know that I am a cynic, and Barack Obama has made a believer out of me. No matter what happens in the next four years, if he has this effect on even a small portion of our country we will be in a much, much better place. This will be a much better world. I believe.

Have you posted about Obama winning the presidency? Please comment below and leave CommentLuv selected, and it will automatically provide a link to your latest post. I would love to have a compilation of post-election day posts here.