On the morning of the day that Senator Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for the presidency, I was outside of the Denver Athletic Club at about 8:20am. I was finishing up a cell phone call before attending an energy and environment meeting sponsored by E2, the Environmental Entrepreneurs group. As I spoke on the phone, I casually noticed a caravan of about 8 black Suburbans guided by a Denver blue-and-white police car past the club. I glanced over my shoulder as the cars rolled to a stop, and saw a phalanx of photographers pointing their cameras at me. I said, I'm going to get off the phone now, I don't know what's happening. As I turned back to the club entrance, a group of men walked past me on the sidewalk, all black-suited and intent except the tall man in the brown track suit and blue ball cap just an arm's reach away. As I came to the realization of who was near, I called out, Hey, Barack, all right! I stammered out, I'm going to see you tonight! He looked back, and with a brief nod, continued into the club. I followed, and watched him shake hands and greet in the lobby, then board the elevator and head up for his basketball workout.
It was my close encounter with destiny and my brief brush with fame. I watched the Senator deliver his very moving speech at Invesco Field that evening, marred only by the fear of the two passenger jets that flew low over the stadium before he took the stage. His speech was magnificent, the moment transcendent, and the hope of escaping the recent nightmare palpable. I walked a few miles that night to get to the ride back to Boulder, content to see a small slice of history.
I, and we, work for the chance to bring some peace and healing to the world. The ideal will certainly not be reached, but it was a good close encounter, and a magical evening.
Cheers,
Sam
Climate Milestones
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