the ticket is booked!

i just hung up the phone with continental airlines and have officially booked my ticket for san jose leaving june 11 at 7:40 AM. woohoo! (by the way, the farm's name is Lone Willow Ranch). i'm super excited, nervous and a ton of other emotions all rolled into one. as it comes closer i find myself having doubts, but i realize that's only fear. on the flipside, i'm really quite happy and looking forward to what lies ahead.

barack obama won the nomination tonight and gave his speech in st. paul, minnesota. i cried throughout his speech because if this man could actually put into place what he dreams of, he (we) really does have the ability to completely change the course of our nation's history and the history of the entire world. finally, perhaps, freedom and equality will be available for all people; finally the very system which has oppressed so many for so long will be overturned, redefined, reimagined. i am dreaming along with him and alongside many americans and many citizens of the world tonight that what he speaks of does indeed come true.

he said one thing in particular which hit close to home, and that is that change means allowing our hopes and visions to rule and inspire us rather than our fears and limitations. (ok, hardly his exact words, but the sentiment is there). i realized that for so long i have let my fears be my guide. but what if i flipped this over and allowed my hopes to guide me instead? how much more could i accomplish, how many more places could i go? would i respect my own thoughts / emotions / intellect more if i adopted this attitude? would i be more comfortable speaking in class? would i take more risks with my acting? would i be more likely to travel, to venture away from my comfort zone? the answer is likely YES. all of these changes are possible by one simple thing: a shift in attitude.

as i pray for this change in the greater world, i pray for this change in myself. after all, that is where all important change begins.