Yes. We. Can.

      So I've been quiet. Partly because I'm busy (super lame excuse I know) but mostly because it's a job. I love it. I feel excited to be doing it. But you can only write "I AM SO EXCITED TO CHANGE THE WORLD" so many times before it gets boring. (For me and you guys.)
    But yesterday was tough. Tons of nos. Lots of yeses too. But tons of people saying they were busy or didn't want to get involved. Tons of people slowly inching away from me, unwilling to commit. And this campaign only works when people commit. This campaign only works because people take ownership of it. I'm not going to win this election for Obama. The people I work with are. And I love that. I'm inspired by that. I love being a tool for the greater good.
   But a hammer that isn't picked up is little more than a paperweight. Being refused is extremely hard for me. Especially when they're condescending about it. Don't call me sweetie to get me off the phone. Don't tell me that you're "too busy" when  you've been shooting the shit in the office for ten minutes. Don't tell me you're scared. Starting this job I was uncomfortable picking up a phone and knocking a door. But my fear of the direction this country could take without my help scared me more. So yes. Incredibly frustrated. Yesterday was a "feeling like if they don't want to help themselves than what am I trying to do" sort of day.
    Then I met Justin. Just randomly, at a bar where I went to take the edge off and relax a little. He sat down and we started talking. He has two little girls, Emma and Lilly (!!!!!) who are the second cutest set of kids I know. He works 60 hours a week in landscape, and is finishing his degree in horticulture.
    Justin can't afford his rent. Luckily he knows his landlord and is able to use his days off to remodel some of the properties to cover where he's short. Justin has no savings, and has to take this semester off school. He's one emergency away from being homeless. He's a single dad, and loves teaching his girls about the outdoors. But he's going to have to sell his boat to cover bills and keep them taken care of.
    Justin will be out of work on November 15th. And he's not hopeful about finding work for the winter. He has a record of burglary and marijuana possession. Both from when he was younger. He served two years in prison because of marijuana. Having worked in the industry I did before this, I know how hard it is to get someone to give you a chance when you have a record. I always tried very hard to not let felonies be the determining factor. But I was rare in that.

   Justin is one of the kindest people I have met. He has a good soul. When he spoke about his daughters you could just see the love he had for them. The sadness he felt that their mother wasn't around. He didn't have much growing up, but that was ok. He doesn't want a lot now. He wants security, the knowledge that he'll be able to pay his bills, work hard, and raise his children well. He wants a future for them that he has watched close on himself. He wants a little extra to give Emma and Lilly a fantasy Christmas. He wants to finish his degree. He wants nothing more than what this country prides itself in providing.
  Justin has never voted. He doesn't feel like he has a voice. He doesn't feel like he matters or is listened to or is someone the government cares about.  And he's not alone. Justin's story is all too common today.
   And at the end of the day, I have to remember that's why I'm here. I'm here for Justin and Emma and Lilly. I'm here to ensure that they have a voice, that the society we're fighting to create is one where he feels listened to, and like he matters. I'm here to fight and win, so that he can have a day off. So he can finish his degree and send his children to go further than he can. I'm here because I've been blessed with many opportunities, even if it didn't feel like it. 
     It's hard to remember that when I get a steady stream of rejections. But it's vital that I do. I can't allow the nos to ever get to me. Because I'm not here for myself. I'm not here so I can have the president that I want.  I'm here to fulfill a promise older than myself, a promise that will stretch into the future long after I'm gone. I'm here because people like him exist, and it's time to stand up, say no, and fight to remove obstacles.  I'm here so that that man, who works so hard for so little, can have the life he deserves. The life that this country promises to provide for all people who work hard, play by the rules, and take responsibility. I'm here for all the people who tell me no. I'm here for the amazing person who says yes.