Yes We Can

I woke up in the wee hours of this morning feeling ill: my temperature up, my skin aching, my head pounding - the overdosing of vitamins for the past few days was only a futile attempt to delay the inevitable and inevitably I had caught the flu that my brother had been harbouring.

I went back to bed, oblivious to the changes happening oceans away, only waking to a world changed. A president, a new leader, of the free world had been chosen. And like my flu it felt inevitable. When I first heard of the name Obama spoken to me by a friend, Katy a couple of years back - before his campaign trail - I had a feeling in my gut that it was only a matter of time before his words would be heard, his light would shine and that he would set an example to the world.

To many, Obama’s victory signals change - an end to a struggle, the end of a government who would not listen. But in his acceptance speech, Obama is well aware that this is only the beginning of change - “This victory alone is not the change we seek, it is only the chance for us to make that change.”

I recall whinging about a terrible year and could not recollect anything great that has happened, perhaps I should look at it in a new way, perhaps we needed to struggle to understand the good that we are about to see. Perhaps this is the year where things change for the better, where despair turns to hope, where promises become action and where the persistence to preserve reigns.

I’ve tried to equate Obama’s victory with my personal life. And although not much has changed the situation since my whinging, words to inspire hope have entered my life. The power of speech and the written word should never be taken for granted and every time Obama speaks, it sends shivers down my spine. He inspires hope and hope is something that I – we, all need.

All that I have to do now is to get over this damn flu, and I’ll be ready to tackle the world. Yes, yes I can!