Blogging Obama

One thousand nine hundred kilometers, eons of media interviews, thirty-six hours and sixty-one blog posts later, I’m home. I’m humbled and I am grateful. It took me a couple days post-trip to really bring my thoughts to some sort of concrete conception. Now, its Friday morning, forty-eight hours later and I think I have some sort of semblance to my random thoughts and feelings.

But first, a few people to thank.

My parents, Michael and Catherine Simunovic, who, through all the ups and downs of planning a trip like this, were motivating, kind and encouraging. In fact, if it weren’t for them, quite surely I would not be here to take part in this event – thank you.

Nona, Jackie DeLuca, for inspiring me to see politics and public service as an opportunity and an obligation from such a young age. She instilled in my a deep sense of commitment to community, to others and to self that without it, I'm not sure who I would be and how I would have appreciated this opportunity today.

My partner in crime, Ethan Plato, who, despite some of the bumps along the road, remained steadfast and determined right through until the end. Our collective excitement and sense of duty is what made this trip truly possible. No one could have accomplished something like this alone – thank you!

To those who we were fortunate enough to share this experience with – those took the trip with us – thank you! All of you had your own story, your own ideas and hopes but it was our desire for a better tomorrow that brought us all together.

The media - from Sun Media to CanWest, from CBC to CTV, from Timmins and Ottawa to Vancouver and Washington, the US to Canada and around the world – thank you to those who took interest in our story. Your support and encouragement of this trip was a factor in making it such a success.

David Constable and David Marventano of Flour Corporation for their help in securing us tickets to the inauguration. Their generosity and kindness is much appreciated. Their help and support made this event that much more powerful and moving. Thank you.
These people were instrumental in making this adventure so vast and powerful for me. While so many more gave it an extra bit of excitement, without these people, there would have been no adventure.

When we arrived in Washington, DC, the power and awe that I expect was simply not there. In fact, there was no traffic and crowds were nonexistent. But by the time we picked up our tickets, the crowds and along with them the momentum, began to build.

We took our spots and prepared for the three-hour wait. In this time we shared stories with those around us, talked and stood breathless as we witnessed the millions of people gathering behind us in the National Mall. Humbled by our luck in scoring tickets, we stood and waited - how lucky, we were only about to find out.

Guests and dignitaries began to arrive, music was played and the formalities of the event attended to. Vice President Biden was sworn in. Then, Barack Obama, recited the oath and took the stage to address the nation – indeed, the entire world was watching and listening.

He delivered what I thought was a perfect balance between hope and action, future and present. He continued the best of traditions – from Lincoln to Kennedy to King – he uttered words that will continue to define a nation and a world.

What struck me most in all of this were a few simple words he said to sum up the reasons for my admiration. When describing his success he said it would be measured by “…our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart…”

It’s not about how government can control our lives or how we can become dependant on government. But, it is about what government should do to make sure every citizen who wishes to achieve success, every citizen who wishes to feel success and every citizen who wishes to work for success, has the same opportunity to grasp and cherish it as any other. It is about making sure government works as a facilitator not as an obstacle. It’s about making sure that our ability to succeed is not measured by who we know or how much we have but how bad we want it and how hard we are willing to work for it.

What Obama stands for is making sure that the purpose of humanity is realized. He understands what it means to seek, listen and learn. He can conceptualize the notion of building from the bottom up. He is a community builder and the movement he started is an extension of that.

But this movement isn’t just about Barack Obama. It is about each and every individual who joined. It is about the small individual acts that we can do that create and define the change we seek. It is about what we can achieve collectively, supported and motivated by an administration and a President that listens, learns and acts. It’s about what we can do with a President on our side, working for us!

The success of this movement will not be defined solely by the accomplishments of the Obama administration but by the achievements of the people. For if one of us fails, we all fail. We are indeed only as good as the weakest among us.

We are all citizens of the world and the world is lead by leaders who now have a new colleague; a man whose compass is the people and whose values and virtues are pure and true. He will be guided by his “ ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart” and that makes me hopeful that our best days are yet to be.

To be part of this event – part of history – was a humbling and deeply deeply motivating experience. To share it with such great friends and all of you in person and through this blog was infact the most rewarding. Because it is us, together, that will shape the future and build our own destinies.

If this whole experience has taught me one thing, it is that the power of the individual is the binding concept of humanity and the summation of our collective success if the definition of progress.

This be the last of my blog posts but hopefully it will in some way have made you think, if even in the smallest way, about your contribution to our collective success - are you a willing heart?

Peace & Love.
Kyle