The Correct Change

I watched the election results last night at work, surrounded by a group of people who cannot vote because of various felony convictions.
Between requests to turn the station back to their Rock of Love rerun,
I tried to share my excitement over Obama’s victory.
“Who gives a shit ?” one woman said, turning away in disgust, “What’s the government ever done for me?” When I detailed her monthly welfare grant, her medical coupon, her food stamps and her WIC checks, she opened her mouth in amazement. “WIC comes from the government - I thought that was a state thing.” I appealed to a woman whose children share our next president’s ethnic heritage, she said “Oh, I don’t think my kids even know they’re black – we never talk about stuff like that.”
Since no one seemed interested in the history-shattering events that were unfolding, I took myself to the old TV in the back room of our place.
The snowy screen made things seem hazy and even more surreal than they already were, but the volume was great. Obama sounded confident but humble, hopeful but realistic – and I wished I could reach him as he has reached so many of us.
If I could say anything to our next president, it might go something like this:

Hey Barack,
I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into.
Right now, while you stand there on the biggest stage in the world, you look like a man. A real man, with principles and values.
Please, as you prepare to take office, just keep that real.
Please, don’t lose your humanity.
Don’t forget about all the little people, the ones you brought to voting booths for the first time in their lives. Feed the hope you created in their souls with serious, self-sustaining changes that won’t lose their luster a week after you take office.
Don’t offend your people with shiny toy measures and bright colored loopholes that fall apart in the wash. Do your job, work hard and keep telling the truth, even when it’s ugly. We all know what’s up – we live here, remember?
I can tell by the way you touch your wife that you’re thinking of a time,
not long from now, when you can roll her into bed and whisper in her ear, “Honey, starting tonight a black man's gonna get it done in this White House.”
And it won’t even sound dirty – it will just sound good - because it’s been a long time coming.
I know I should feel bad about thinking that, I'm sorry if it sounds undignified.
I would never have thought such a thing about Reagan or Bush.
Not for what may seem like obvious reasons, but because they didn't seem like they could bring passion and politics to their bedrooms, let alone their boardrooms. They never seemed capable of doing anything more than providing a frame for their expensive suits to hang from. They did not seem alive.
You do.
You own your suit – you own your self - and you have made us believe you fill both with honesty and passion, with humor, humility and style.
Don’t let us down.
We really need you to be that once-in-a-life-time guy who looks good because he IS good. That guy who loves his wife and his children, gives to his neighbors and laughs at himself while still honoring his own history and inner wisdom.
That guy who keeps his word and actually does the job he sets out to do.
Hey – Obama, good luck.
Stay safe.
We’ll be listening to you, so you better keep listening to us.
We all have an enormously important story to tell – a story worth getting right for a change.







(p.s. hello Matt from afar - wishing you well on your journeys, and hoping to hear YOUR perspective some soon day...)