10.25.2008

Who, me? Canvass??




Every so often, you get lucky, and find yourself presented with the opportunity to be a part of something really *big* ... in other words, history in the making. Yesterday, the front page of the local paper confirmed that Senator Obama (yes, THE Senator Obama!) was making a campaign stop right here in the heart of FoCo ... our unassuming, but ever-so-endearing 'little' town. This gives a small glimpse into what a wild and wacky election year it's been because this town has never had a visit from a Democratic presidential candidate ... ever. Not to mention the fact that, in all the years before this one, I would have never guessed that there would be enough Democratic support in this city to make a presidential campaign stop worth their while. Life is full of all sorts of good surprises! :-)

Through my volunteer work with the Obama campaign, I discovered that they were offering VIP passes to the rally for those who were willing to canvass 100 houses today to encourage people to vote early. I immediately understood what needed to be done. I needed to cajole my not-so-willing family into helping me with this task. This idea was met with multiple 'wailings and gnashings of teeth' by Caroline and Lily ... "You want us to do WHAT?!?"

You see, Caroline & Lily, I kind of understand where you're coming from. After all, if you had asked me this time last year, if I would be willing to do that for ANY political candidate that I knew or had ever known, it would have been met with a resounding "nooooo". This also gives you another glimpse into what an exceptional year in politics this has been. Senator Obama has inspired me and so many others to believe that things can be better than they are right now and that they should be better. It's no small task to inspire people to dream a bigger dream for themselves ... as individuals, as a nation and as a global community. That kind of leadership is sorely needed in this broken world. Do I believe he's perfect? No, I'm really not that naive, and I am aware of the limits of all politicians, regardless of affiliation. They are, after all, politicians, but I do believe that he's on the right track. I do believe that he has a unique and singular vision for restoring the spirit of our country and that he has the intelligence and careful, measured judgement to lead us in that direction. For that, I'm willing to throw myself out there more than I ever have. Never thought I'd say it, but, as I said, life is full of all sorts of good surprises ... Who, me? Canvass? You betcha! ;-)

Addendum: What I failed to mention above was that, in addition to canvassing 100 homes today, I had to coach a soccer game, attend an end-of-season soccer party & show up at a Halloween costume piano recital with all 3 kids in full Halloween regalia. Oh, it wasn't pretty, but we got the job done. Due to the condensed nature of our day, we had to go straight from the costume party to the canvass which meant that each child was in various states of Halloween dress as we meandered through various neighborhoods. Lily, dressed as "Static Cling" looked the scariest, as you can see from these pictures, and I can ONLY IMAGINE, what thoughts were going through people's heads when they opened their door to find this motley crew at their doorstep. If that isn't scary, I don't know what is!
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