Not just "waiting for the world to change"

Things are looking up. Since my last posting, my job prospects initially went from unsure to bad. One of the two funding sources my principal had appealed to for my salary replied with, “a big, fat no.” Monday was a rough day. Life was feeling more unsettled than ever, and I was not excited about the alternatives.

Monday night my principal went to her second and last hope for me and pled my case, telling the committee how much change I had brought about, and that it couldn’t be sustained and continued without someone in my position. Rather than deliberate and wait until the following month to vote as is the norm, they unanimously approved my position. My principal told me yesterday morning, and I walked on clouds the rest of the day. There is that one percent of me that wonders what path I would have taken if I had been forced to find a new job, and I do feel just a twinge of wanting to have to have a new adventure, but the rest of me is ecstatic. I feel like the world has stopped spinning, and I can begin to get my bearings again.

Today has been another good day. I took a half day off this morning to go hear Obama speak at Denver University. With RSVP ticket in hand, I stood in the 20 degree weather for two hours in a ridiculously long line. I did not get into the big arena in which he was speaking. Instead, I, along with literally thousands of others, was shuffled into the side gym to watch on the big screen.

I did not come all this way to watch TV with countless strangers. I sat for a little while, debating what to do, and then he walked in. I was less than 10 rows away. Literally a stone’s throw. He has such a presence, an “ambience” about him. It’s how I’m guessing most people feel about celebrities. I could never really relate to how people got so excited about famous people, but now I’m starting to get it. He started speaking and the crowd immediately fell silent to be able to catch his every word. He wasn’t there to officially give a speech to us, but he did a great job of making us all feel like that time in the cold and the day off work was worth it. I decided not to stay and watch his prepared speech on the big screen. I had gotten what I wanted.

After he left, I walked out of the packed auditorium into the silent sunshine outside and just had a moment to enjoy what I had been a part of. I’ve never been surrounded by so many like-minded people, all rooting for the same cause, and it was truly moving. I’ve never cared about anything too political, much less been a part of it, but I think I may be converting to at least a person who pays attention. It’s just so invigorating to feel like there’s a whole group of people out there whose views are at least similar to mine.

I’ll be participating in my first caucus on Super Duper Tuesday next week, and even if Obama doesn’t win, at least I’ll feel like I took a small step in the right direction to enact change. It’s the same reason I’m so excited about my job. I feel like I’m finally in a position to make some long term positive changes school-wide. I thrive on being a part of positive change.