Election Day

Ive consciously steered away from political commentary on this blog because we are all bombarded by every inane opinion on all sides at all times, and because Im not immersed enough in the issues, nor the candidates backgrounds or platforms, to even pretend to give you some sort of well-formed, articulate diatribe on a favorite. Dont be that girl.

Being from Orange County, which (I didnt even realize) is referred to as the "Orange Curtain" because of its tiny sphere of die-hard republicans that exist within an extremely liberal state, basically afforded me with an extremely one-sided view of life for quite some time. Now moving across the country and seeing things from literally the other side, perspectives change. Im not saying things are, ahem, white and black, or that I am rejecting everything I grew up thinking, but life alters, and there are many shades of grey when it comes to the intricacies of man and his fallible ways. The lesser of two evils is not an awesome way to elect the head of this country, but because we are human beings trying to govern ourselves apart from God (no matter what the republicans try to say) it will always be thus, and we make of it what we can.

I feel fortunate that I have lived in affluent places like Newport Beach and now am living in the hood. A place few people I know have ever experienced, except to get gas or get lost. Life is multi-faceted, and we are lucky if given the chance to see things from someones else view of the world. I highly recommend it.

Like I said, I cant pontificate on anything. All I can give you is what I am hearing right now. It is 12:34 am and the city of Dorchester is alive with energy, the sounds of celebration, and incessant car horns.

I live in a particular outskirt of Boston that prompts other black people to look at me with concern and say "Why do you live there?" I ride the bus every day with the poor, the disenfranchised, the trapped, the frustrated, the voiceless. I wont even delve into this in its entirety, because it sparks a lot of debate over words like "fault" and "opportunity" - but I will say this, I understand now what the phrase "getting out" means when spoken in terms of the ghetto, and why people find it so immeasurably hard. It isnt that they couldn't move to the city and change their lives, its that... well... picking up and moving away from your family and friends when you've never known anything to be different or better... When every single person around you is just rotting, stationary - you are told daily that you will never be anything, go anywhere, amount to anything... why would you try? Why would it even enter into your consciousness to want anything better or different? Why not just stay here and get pregnant and be on welfare and do exactly what everyone else is doing, and hate your life?

I get it. And its weird and dark, and way more complicated than I am describing here, but I get it.

Im not saying that our new president will change all of this for them - I mean, odds are he may not change anything for any of us. Who knows? Politics is all promises, and all we can hope for right now is to do a mere fraction better than the boob who has been in there for the last eight years. Cuz really. We just hope and pray the the Lords will be done in this country.

But this town, these people, and countless other poor communities like it, just got a nice shot in the arm today. There was a vibe, a restlessness, an expectancy today. People were out voting, shutting up, tuning in, and paying attention. I have to say, as a daily spectator, I appreciate the ray of sunshine. Even if its totally unfounded, its a step in the right direction.

Whatever the outcome of of this man and his leadership - he inspired the uninspired. He allowed people to dream again, of bigger things. Monumental things.

To honk their horns at nearly one a.m. and feel connected to something larger than themselves. Larger than the consuming darkness and endless maze of this.

For that, Mr. Obama, I thank you. Try not to screw this up. For all of us.