His and Her-story

Yesterday was it. The day I and so many others have been waiting for. The day Senator Barack H. Obama crossed the delegate threshold. And, yet I didn't shed a tear.

I expected to boo hoo like a baby. After all, it, for many of us, is one of those moments in history that you will never forget where you were. I watched this man of African decsendant give, what I thought, in many ways, was one of his best and most gracious speeches yet. Instead I was just in awe.

I wish I was in a room full of other Obama supporters. I wish I had a bottle of champagne to pop open. But alas, I was sitting on my couch in my PJ's eating a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie.

I wanted to write a post for my blog. But my internet was down.

I wanted to call all my fellow Obama supporters but my cell phone and house phone batteries were dead.

For once, all I could do was sit still and think. Think about what this means. Wonder what is next. All I could do was listen to Donnie Hathaway in the background singing "Someday we'll all be free" and smile.

But what came out of my moment of not being able to multi-task was that this whole campaign for democratic nomination whether an Obama supporter or Clinton supporter is, in many ways, something to be hugely proud of. The level of engagement on either side of the fence is mind-boggling. The future is so bright, if we can keep this momentum going, that I might need some new shades.

I thought about all the folks who 'don't vote' who don't 'do politics' who decided to not only vote, but volunteer, donate money, and talk about the issues with their friends (and their foe's). I thought about the record turnout in so many states. I thought about the fact that, regardless of motivation, so many people chose to 'do something' rather than be apathetic and solely tied to consumerism.

As I later replayed Senator Clinton's speech to better understand her. I have to say, I agreed with her on one thing. It is because she decided to stay in this race that millions of folks who might not have otherwise had a chance to make an impact on the results, were able to do so. And whether you view it as self-serving or not, many folks who have in the past felt like their voice didn't matter, no longer feel this way.

And today, no matter what happens in November, I couldn't be prouder, at this very moment, of this place we call home.