You may not remember giving me that hug, but I'll remember that moment for the rest of my life. It was my junior year in college and things weren't going very well for me. Days before I had lost someone special to me and I was emotionally distraught. I also had no idea what to do with my life, while it seemed like everyone else had it all figured out. I felt like a failure.
Then I heard you were coming to Binghamton University to give a speech. I was super excited but unfortunately, I didn't win the lottery to go see you. (But as you can see from the picture I managed to sneak in... Just kidding)
Luckily my brother Kieran was ushering for you and took me as his plus one to go see you speak! I hadn't been that excited in a very long time. You are one of my role models and I look up to you and I admire you. To be frank I admire more than just you but everything you represent. I feel like this picture is a testament to your whole character.
You were only supposed to go around and shake everyone's hand but you went out of your way to make me, a nobody, happy.
However, it didn't all go exactly as planned. I was supposed to ask you for a hug and anyone that knows me knows what happens next. I froze; I couldn't breathe. It felt like the longest yet shortest moment of my life.
As you walked away I immediately berated myself for not being able to speak up. While you were halfway across the room talking to someone else, I complained out loud and said, "Damn I wish I had asked Barack for a hug!" As I said these words I saw your head slowly turn towards my direction... you had heard me! To be honest I was more worried that you had heard me call you Barack. But you didn't care! Your exact words were, "You want a hug? Come here." And then you proceeded to give me a hug!
Whenever I tell this story I always make sure to make it a point to say that YOU gave me a hug. Not the other way around. This is a very important detail! Mainly because the bald secret service dude held my arms and frisked them not allowing me to hug back. It was undeniably one of the best frisking moments of my entire life.
Afterwards I was mostly in a daze, no words can explain the emotion, I'm surprised I didn't feint. It's hard to remember the next ten minutes of my life. I just remember being the happiest person alive.
Sometimes I look back at it and think about how it almost didn't happen. I'm sure in some parallel universe you didn't hear me... And my life wasted away knowing I didn't grab the opportunity. So I want to personally thank you President Obama for teaching me to always try my hardest to live life with no regrets and grab every opportunity I can.
When I read this simple account of this man's meeting with President Obama I knew that it needed to be shared.
The man is amazing.
And we are going to miss him like crazy.
You can thank me for Barack
ReplyDeleteHey God.... You really fucked up with Palin. WTF were you thinking? When she lied about her giving birth to Trig, you should have sent a lightning bolt through her body. You enabled Palin and now we have Pathological Liar Donald Trump. Now if you strike his ass down in the next week, all is forgiven.
DeleteI God this
DeleteTrump would have told him to get a job.
ReplyDeleteThis story brought me to tears. Sometimes a hug is just what a hurting person needs. I've been there. There was a time I was hurting so bad emotionally, and this woman at a bible study gave me a hug, and it made all the difference in the world.
ReplyDeleteWow. I'm going to miss this president so much. I hope that he stays in the public domain and remains accessible to those that admire him so much. Like me!
ReplyDeleteDon't know how all this water got on my keyboard but as I wipe it up, I too am thankful to President Obama for being at the helm during these troubling times. And son, for this 50+ middle age woman, he's been a role model to me too. We are never too old to learn. That one simple compassionate hug speaks volumes to all generations.
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful story. We have such a compassionate, intelligent man as President. I'm sure he's going to be listed among the top 10 best Presidents, if not THE best President.
ReplyDelete+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++to infinity
DeletePlease tell me I'm not the only one whose eyes filled with tears when reading that. Wonderful story.
ReplyDeleteNope. (sniff, sniff)
DeleteI'm dabbing at my tears right now.
DeleteI wish regular people could meet the president.
ReplyDeleteMe too.
DeleteI am 55 years old and there has never been a President in my lifetime who I've wanted to meet as much as President Obama.
DeleteI would just love to meet President Obama.
DeleteNice story...thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteDespite living in the crucible that is the Presidency (and as a black man), Bambz always finds that quiet moment in his heart when in the midst of a throng. I've seen so many similar photos... I believe it's the ability to commit to deep connections to people that makes him the champion of ALL citizens. Tried and Proven ~ Two Terms Elected. Can anyone see Drumpf doing anything close to this?
ReplyDeleteNot on your life.
DeleteThere will never be another like him.
JESUS>
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/suzanne-dewitt-hall/jesus-the-first-transgend_b_10006134.html
Anyone so optically challenged as to not see the racist motivations for the extreme dislike of President Obama is intellectually blind, and likely an unhelpful citizen.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.salon.com/2016/05/22/the_right_wing_hates_america_the_loudest_flag_waving_patriots_are_always_the_dangerous_hypocrites/
You see the same level of hatred for Hillary. They are trying to make her an unlikeable other. She was rise about it.
DeleteThis idea that Hillary is unlikable is pure fiction.
DeleteShe has high unfavorability ratings for a variety of reasons (no small part is due to the barrage of negativity thrown at her for the past 25 years).
She has never been as personable as Bill, but there are loads of accounts of people who have met her and worked with her and really like her.
This idea that Hillary is unlikable is pure fiction.
DeleteShe has high unfavorability ratings for a variety of reasons (no small part is due to the barrage of negativity thrown at her for the past 25 years).
She has never been as personable as Bill, but there are loads of accounts of people who have met her and worked with her and really like her.
Obama is a very special man.
ReplyDeleteBoth of our current Democrat candidates have given similar one-on-one attention to voters.
There are many accounts of "regular" people who say when they meet Hillary Clinton in person she gives them 100% of her attention and really listens.
And Bernie Sanders obviously cares about individual people, too. I know he sat down with certain groups and showed them he was willing to listen and act on their behalf.
Neither can match Obama, as far as I'm concerned, when it comes to really connecting with people.
But, I remember when I heard that Bernie Sanders was running against Hillary, my reaction was that we are lucky to have two excellent candidates, not only for their ideas, but also for their compassion.
I don't remember another president who has had as deep a sense of compassion as this man.
ReplyDeleteWe have been blessed to have him and his family in the White House. As much as I will miss them when they're gone, I look forward to seeing what great things they will accomplish in the future.
What a great story. I'm so going to miss this president.
ReplyDeleteI love these stories, but I honestly think that it is going to lead to anxiety and depression for me. I'm so angry for how this wonderful man has been treated and I don't want to wait another 10, 20 or more years for people to realize how amazing he truly is. Is he perfect? Far from it and there are things he has done that I don't agree with, but he's been a decent, smart, empathetic leader of our country and I'm proud of him.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way, something tells me the world admires this quality he has as well.
DeleteDuring his first campaign, My family were working feverishly volunteering, handing out pamphlets, making phone calls, etc. Just like many across the nation. Once in a while he'd have a "Facetime" meeting at someone's home, anyway, I'll never forget this woman Lyla. She had put up two mortgages, was looking for new parents for her two kids, because she had "incurable" cancer of the spleen. We wrote a letter to the then candidate about her story, and he wrote her back one of the most heart wrenching yet consoling letters I've ever read, and promised to invite her and her family to the WH should he win.
ReplyDeleteHe kept his promise. Lyla cherished that experience, and kept the photo by her bed at every treatment. Amazingly, she was put on a clinical trial, and after three operations, chemo and radiation, she's cancer free going on five years now.
A man of his caliper is rare, I feel lucky to have lived to see his two terms in office,his connection with the common man, and the fact he reads and answers letters people send him.