Washington (CNN) – It was President Barack Obama's final oath, final inauguration speech and final look out over the sea of people heralding the start of his second term.
As Obama walked up the steps leading back into the Capitol Building, he stopped, turned and paused, looking back out over the National Mall where hundreds of thousands of his supporters stood waving flags.
"I'm going to take a look one more time. I'm not going to see this again," he told his family, including wife Michelle, daughters Sasha and Malia, and mother-in-law Marian Robinson.
And there he stood, for about ten seconds, silently soaking in the best view in Washington.
Of course, he'll see a similar view in four years – as the outgoing president, he'll attend his successor's inauguration. And if Monday's event is any prediction, he'll likely attend future presidents' inaugurations as well – both Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton watched Obama take the oath Monday.
But for those few seconds Monday, it was a reminder for Obama that those presidential moments won't last forever.