It seemed as if every single one of my classmates was pulling one of those bejeweled cubes from their book bags and, by golly, I desperately wanted one, too. According to wiki, Rubik’s Cube arrived on Western shores in 1980. I was 11. My parents chose not to indulge any of my whining or pleading for the toy, but I couldn’t help but believe my life would be better, richer, and more complete if I had my own cube. One morning that year, I awoke from a dream that had weaved the tale of my eventual ownership and indeed, life was grand. The dream was so vivid that for a moment upon waking, I was sure I would be able to reach over and hold the cube in my hand. I also knew that having had an unconscious dream meant that my desire for that particular thing had become a true passion.

Seven years earlier, I had dreamt that I was outside on the sidewalk in front of my home and was gently lifted into the air by an autumn wind enabling me to fly, rather much like the Flying Nun. I was genuinely convinced of my ability to fly. The dream was so real: the desire to fly had become a passion.

When I fell asleep on Sunday evening, March 2^nd, 2008, in my home state of Ohio, the entire night was overcome with intense images that included canvassing for Barack Obama, organizing phone bank lists for Barack Obama, and helping with a meet-and-greet for Barack Obama. Whilst I was sleeping, I kept asking myself, “Am I still dreaming? Yes, I’m still dreaming. Is the election over yet? No, it’s not over yet. Is Barack Obama President of the United States, yet? No, not yet. So, it’s all just a dream?” It seemed as if I had hardly realized any benefit from shutting my eyes save one, the necessity for Barack Obama to lead our country from the White House has become a true passion. I truly believe that having Barack Obama as our President will result in our lives being better, richer, and more complete. No amount of whining or pleading on my part will make it so. I must participate in order to make my dream come true.

Participating is the whole point. Those of us who have made phone calls, knocked on doors, made T-shirts and buttons, donated money, and walked with clipboards and GOTV volunteer sheets the winding queue of thousands of people have participated. We’ve offered our skill set to the cause and gained more experience along the way. We are the sort of people who will continue to participate after January 20^th, 2009. We must participate if we want our government of the people, by the people, and for the people to succeed. The result will be a more satisfying, longer-lasting, farther-reaching democracy for everyone.

I never did own a genuine Rubik’s Cube, the one with the bright, solid colors. You know the one I am referring to, the toy with the well-known brand name that demands to be in every household. Instead, I collected cereal boxtops and sent for a grassroots cube instead. I didn’t simply save up a few bucks, rather I had to be patient, eat my cereal, cut out the boxtops, and mail in my request. Then, I had to allow six to eight weeks for it to arrive!

It is Tuesday morning, March 4^th, 2008. I have awakened from another set of intense campaigning dreams in time to hear the freezing rain that was forecast has arrived. There is still much more work to be done today. Twenty-four hours from now, we may still not know the results of the primary. It would seem as if the one thing this process asks of its participants is patience. It probably won’t take six to eight weeks, but it will take time. According to Jill Kelly, Director of the Lucas County Board of Elections in Ohio, four to five hours are required to run 10,000 ballots. If done openly and transparently, the time it takes to tabulate the results is secondary. Have a bowl of cereal and dust off the Rubik’s. It may be awhile.