Looking back over the past decade, my conduct amazes me. I was asleep at the wheel.
I retired nine years ago and took a year off to shake off the obligations of a responsible adult. Surely I had earned time without the stress, confusion and demands of my life as a "corporate" executive. Eat, sleep, laugh, and be merry. It was a source of pleasure to forego wearing a watch...time no longer mattered. No meetings, no appointments, no deadlines at all. I spent my time concentrating on finding a residence in a new location, something in a warmer climate. Is there anywhere warmer than Las Vegas, NV? We said goodby to family and friends and headed for Sun City, my head still in the sand.
Floor tile, color schemes, and wood veneers for our new home were the focus of my attention. Lost in my own little world, I had no clue of the things taking place around me. Politics passed me by without notice. When I raised my head, George Bush was elected president. My heart was broken and I vowed to close my eyes to any and everything that had to do with him. I shut out the next four years (which unfortunately stretched into eight years). Still, I was adamant...George Bush was not my president. I took no notice of him in particular and government in general.
I raised m
y head eventually to listen to the Jr. Senator from Illinois as he addressed the National Democratic Convention and again when he announced his candidacy for President of the United States. That did it! My interest was piqued when he said "Yes, we can" and I studied each candidate's position on the issues. Totally engaged, I volunteered and worked at the campaign office and sat in the rain with 14,000 other supporters listening to my candidate speak. I followed the struggles along the road to the White House until the race had been run and my candidate was victorious with a 52% majority in the popular vote and more than 349 electoral votes. Barack Obama had been elected and soon would become the 44th President of the United States, the most powerful man in the world. I heard him say "I will be your president, too" to the thousands gathered in Chicago's Grant Park and I remembered all the negative feelings that washed over me after the last two presidential elections when George Bush had prevailed. I knew I'd never be caught asleep at the wheel again.
y head eventually to listen to the Jr. Senator from Illinois as he addressed the National Democratic Convention and again when he announced his candidacy for President of the United States. That did it! My interest was piqued when he said "Yes, we can" and I studied each candidate's position on the issues. Totally engaged, I volunteered and worked at the campaign office and sat in the rain with 14,000 other supporters listening to my candidate speak. I followed the struggles along the road to the White House until the race had been run and my candidate was victorious with a 52% majority in the popular vote and more than 349 electoral votes. Barack Obama had been elected and soon would become the 44th President of the United States, the most powerful man in the world. I heard him say "I will be your president, too" to the thousands gathered in Chicago's Grant Park and I remembered all the negative feelings that washed over me after the last two presidential elections when George Bush had prevailed. I knew I'd never be caught asleep at the wheel again.
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