It would be easier if I heard about the opportunity one day but thought nothing of it. Then, while driving later that day, I heard Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dying," only to switch the station because it was too coincidental. But the other station was playing Van Halen's "Right Now" and knew that it was too good to be coincidental. Then, later that evening, I was sitting at home and the Discovery Channel showed a special on the Civil War in Liberia and knew I had to go. Unfortunately, I have never been lucky to have signs fall on my lap like that. Instead it was a progression of thoughts and meditation before I came to the decision that I should take this chance. Okay, back to the story.
As many of you know, I moved to the Chicagoland Area in October 2007. I told work I was leaving to pursue a Master's Degree at Loyola or Northwestern. In reality, I left because something felt right about leaving DC. Not that I didn't like living in the Washington Metro Area. On the contrary, I enjoyed it quite a bit! It was a grand experience living in Virginia and experiencing the life of a government official (even if was as a contractor). The friends I made and the life I had was, for the most part, great. But when I went to Chicago in July that year, there was something that made me want to stay. Which I did when I stayed another week before begrudgingly driving back.
By the time I arrived back in Virginia, I had pretty much made my mind that I needed to get out of Washington soon. When an opportunity presented itself, I took it. That opportunity led me to quit my job out of the blue, pack my bags (and boxes, and bed - no I didn't pack my bed, I just threw it away) and head back to the Midwest. It was a thrill, thinking that I was going back to my birth state - yes, I was born in Illinois, not Oklahoma - and start this great life that would be wild beyond my imagination.
Two months later and still no job, that grand dream was fading away fast. I didn't have many opportunities landing at my doorstep. Turns out, they want you to have an accounting or finance degree to be a business analyst in Chicago. You only needed a college degree in DC, which has fostered my fear of how our federal government operates.
I had been asked a few times by family to talk to this guy running for Congress in the Tri-Cities area, but had brushed off the idea. I had been in politics before and was done. After Thanksgiving and turning another year older, I realized that I needed to do something. At least until I could find a more permanent job. So I met with this guy. I will admit, he had the charisma and the look for Congress, but I could tell there was something missing. I took the position and started helping out.
Of course, this didn't last long, as he lost a key endorsement and then decided to suspend the race. This led, however, to another job opportunity with the campaign that picked up the endorsement. I took the job, this time a paying one (since the campaign was actually raising funds).
I know, what does any of this have to do with Africa and helping children? It makes sense, but sometimes you have to trudge through the nonsense. Think of it as the few minutes of a movie where you have no idea what's going on before things start making sense.
Fast forward to February and the campaign wins the primary. This wasn't one of those "oh how nice, you won, let's all hold hands now." Instead, this was a race that made Rocky seem like a pillow fight between girls at a slumber party. It was brutal.
There was no cool-down before the next fight, though. After running a tough race, we had to regroup and sprint towards another 35-day goal. The next morning (and that was really early for some of us who had stayed up pretty late celebrating the night before) saw all of us hitting the ground running.
Thirty-five days of campaigning. Thirty-five days of non-stop work, from surveys to phone calls, press releases to door knocking (and the occasional big-name politician). Most of us thought we had the election by March 8, but most of us were wrong. It was such a deflating loss. The national media hailed it as the monumental upset, pundits blamed the campaign and the candidate, party officials grumbled their disdain. It was an even that makes everyone just want to crawl into a cave for a few weeks. Or months.
But that day changed everything. I didn't know it then, but it lead me to redefine who I want to be and it led me towards where I am today, just 46 days away from taking a trip that will change my life forever. I think this is enough for today. We have plenty of time for me to finish this story another day.
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