Did you feel it?

Around 12:07/12:08 pm today? Did a gentle breeze ruffle your hair, the papers on your desk, the pages of the book you were reading? If so, did you smile and wonder where it came from? Or did you shiver with some unknown, unsure feeling?

If, by chance, you felt that breeze, it was most likely coming from me and most of my fellow Louisianians exhaling. As of 12:08 pm today, our state finally has leadership new leadership. Bobby Jindal was sworn in as governor today.

I voted for him the first time he ran -- and lost. I voted for him the second time he ran -- and won. I have high hopes. But....like many of us in this state, even though my hopes are high, my expectations are low. I'm surprised that I feel this way, and even more surprised that many others feel the same. It's not good.

Many of us in this state have been putting off facing the feeling that we had to face today. We said we wanted change, and now we have a chance to have exactly that, but is it actually possible? Can it be done? Can we do it? This must be very similar to how those displaced by Katrina feel -- life wasn't good before the storms for many of them and now there's supposedly a new chance to do better. But....just how do you do it? How do you change?

After being sworn in as Lieutenant Governor, Mitch Landrieu said it well. The rest of the country, figuratively and literally, look down on Louisiana. We are used to being at the end of the line. We expect it -- maybe even feel we deserve it. We need to change that way of thinking. We must change that way of thinking. Easy to say.

Jindal has given this state a mantra: We need to change. We must change. We will change.

So, here we go. I so hope it's a good ride.