Excitement, Inspiration, Motivation!

I was completely excited by the mail today. In it came the envelope that bore one of the many perks of the obsession, sweat, tears, and giggles that I have held for the last ten months--tickets to the Inauguration and two of the official balls. The Presidential Inaugural Committee gave campaign and committee staffers the opportunity to attend the Ceremonies, an official ball, and the Staff Ball. This experience will be the culmination and celebration of the success we had two months ago.

I started working for Obama not because I have held a life long devotion for politics, but because he truly inspires me. President Elect Obama has always been my guy. I worked for him for six months, two of which were as a full time volunteer (paling in comparison to the hundreds of individuals who put their lives on hold for the better part of two years). I cherished his words and wondered again about the possibilities of this great nation--would our electorate really vote to be their President an African American man with a funny name who spoke of hope and taking personal investment in the government to create the change they desire? When I first saw Obama rally the crowds in September 2007, he delivered an eloquent speech filled with idealistic promises, keeping people engaged throughout. Like any good community organizer, though, he recognized that he needed to end with more than engagement, but with the impetus to act by inspiring the crowd. He told a story that is now famous, but it was my first time hearing it--"Fired Up! Ready to Go!" The thesis of the story shows that if one voice can change an attitude or the minds in a room, then one voice can also change the world. He ended the story and speech by saying, "OK, New York--Let's go change the world!" I would develop my own 'Obama story' over the next few months, but at that moment, I fell in political love with Barack Obama (as my volunteers liked to say).

I wish this could all transcend into an easy motivator to keep running... It doesn't. The Inauguration is thankfully approaching too quickly for there to be a significant change from my running in my appearance. It keeps me motivated and hopeful in life, though, and that makes me so excited, upon receiving tangible proof that change is coming, I danced around the house, ran around the quarry, and smiled. In fact, I am still smiling.


Time: 42 minutes
Place: The Hilly Quarry
Weather: Kinda Windy, 33 F
Distance: 3.8 miles (2 running; 1.8 run 4 min/walk 1)
Feeling: I hate hills!
Overall grade: C+