I posted something really personal a few days ago that generated a lot of attention. The range of opinions were wide. I decided to take it down because it was ultimately too personal. Writing doesn’t come naturally for me. It takes me forever to write anything but I do it because it’s deeply cathartic. I’m happy to express my transparency but there has to be a boundary. How does one draw the line? Maybe I did.

I just returned home from a bachelorette weekend in Santa Barbara with a dozen married and under 30 Jewish women. I’m single and over thirty. Need I say more? Honestly, it felt like they were just staring at me like I was a unicorn or something. And maybe they weren’t. It’s quite possible I was projecting, as I was the only single girlfriend there (well, there was Rachel, but she’s in college so that doesn’t count). Anyway, it’s truly wild what spending time with them felt like for me. Driving up I was so excited for this weekend. Two days in Santa Barbara in a lovely hotel on the beach with really fun events planned. But, after two days of an entire conversation devoted to THEIR marriages, I felt depleted. And sad. Now, the exhaustion was real. We went on a spectacular wine tour, played every penis party game known to any efficient maid of honor, danced until dawn and drank too much champagne. But the sadness threw me. I never expected to feel so out of place. I was isolated and alone in a group of many. Doubts kept coming to mind. Why am I single? Is there something wrong with me? I thought these questions were 20th century (when I was in my twenties and didn’t know better). I mean, wasn’t I more evolved than this? I thought I was mature: a genuine “adult.” I enjoy being single and in fact, feel so comfortable sleeping alone and RSVP-ing for one that I’ve wondered if I will ever get married. Getting married is not a destination for me. It never has been. I believe in love. Raw, unabashed, totally inconvenient don’t want to live without him kind of love. And maybe that’s what these girls have. All twelve of them. If so, I celebrate that. But, to feel sad or that I’m somehow missing out on life because I haven’t found mine yet is just plain wrong. I may not meet my man for years to come but being single doesn’t make me a freak of nature. Holding on to true love, the kind that ancient sonnets are inspired by, through living in and being fully present to the magic of this beautiful world, and where this love ultimately dwells within me, does.

It’s a few days before Christmas – how did we get here so fast? While the year has flown by, I’m taking the time to really enjoy this holiday season. 2008 has been an important year. In a way, it’s felt like a “wake up call.” Electing Obama is clearly a message of change but it’s more than that. Yes, times are tough but for some, that’s nothing new – it’s always tough. And for others, it’s been an opportunity for accountability. But for most, it seems we were forced to wake up and realize life is now. There is nothing else.

I’ve loved 2008. I celebrated my friends in amazing ways this year. Finding true love, several engagements, weddings and babies, a non profit launch, political passion, athletic and artistic endeavors, and countless dreams coming true. It’s also been a long year of tremendous loss, growth, challenge and change. But the best part of the year is now, when things are winding down and I’m reflecting on how good life really is. Sounds so trite but it’s so true.

I’m grateful for my friends and family beyond words. More than ever, it seems we’re savoring all we share. This holiday season was sprinkled with magical decadence. Freedom, fun and laughter. My friends and family make my life what it is. Without them, there is no magic. Thank you! There is one thing I know for sure, I am blessed.

Barack Obama was elected President tonight. Not by a small margin. He won with a sweeping victory. Obama is our President Elect. My God. Like so many, I was at an election party with my friends Mychelle and Mary. We were a small group of about twenty gathered in Felicity and Dan’s home in Santa Monica. As we watched the polls close one by one, we would cry, cheer and cry some more. When they announced his victory, we screamed and cried from places within ourselves I’m not sure we knew. Our cathartic emotions were unabashed and it felt so good to be celebrating in the same way, together. The victorious moment was one of the most profound experiences of my life. My Mom called as soon as Obama won to share the beautiful moment with me. My Mom.. who, before this campaign, never got involved in politics, not only voted for Obama, but made sure all her friends did too. Thank you Mama. I feel such immense gratitude for being able to witness such an historical event. We get it. Obama represents the ultimate measure for what most of us have been fighting for all our lives. Democracy. Truth. Vision. Leadership. Hope. The people have spoken and their chant was clear, “YES WE CAN.” Obama is the voice for a new America. Later, I noticed the weather made a dramatic shift at about the same time Obama won. Fierce winds started blowing all across town. The winds of change are upon us. My gratitude and awe of witnessing this historic day runs deep. This day will never be forgotten. Not by me. Not by anyone. America voted a black man into the White House. Tonight was not only a Presidential victory, it was a Universal healing. Thank you America. Thank you Barack Obama. Thank you.

Writing about the current political process is a matter of the heart. Being passionate about politics is hardly ordinary, especially now. The mere fact that people talking politics is “ordinary” is extraordinary in and of itself! My Mother has never really given two cents about politics and this is the first time she’s been inspired to do anything. She’s 61 years old and believes that change is not only critical, but possible. More importantly, my Mom knows her voice must be heard and that her vote does indeed count. Tell me that’s not a matter of the heart. I hear stories like this all the time from people around the nation and it’s always extraordinary. Helping spread the word, sharing political passion and actually doing something about is definitely a matter of my heart, thank you very much.

Hello friends, please save the evening of November 21, 2008 for the first annual Go Go Gala. Please contact me for more information. All love, Michelle

Sent from my friend Simon Bailey.

Editorial from Jonathan Freedland of the British Newspaper the Guardian on the upcoming US election.

If Sarah Palin defies the conventional wisdom that says elections are determined by the top of the ticket, and somehow wins this for McCain, what will be the reaction? Yes, blue-state America will go into mourning once again, feeling estranged in its own country. A generation of young Americans- who back Obama in big numbers – will turn cynical, concluding that politics doesn’t work after all. And, most depressing, many African-Americans will decide that if even Barack Obama – with all his conspicuous gifts – could not win, then no black man can ever be elected president.

But what of the rest of the world? This is the reaction I fear most. For Obama has stirred an excitement around the globe unmatched by any American politician in living memory. Polling in Germany, France, Britain and Russia shows that Obama would win by whopping majorities, with the pattern repeated in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. If November 4 were a global ballot, Obama would win it handsomely. If the free world could choose its leader, it would be Barack Obama.

The crowd of 200,000 that rallied to hear him in Berlin in July did so not only because of his charisma, but also because they know he, like the majority of the world’s population, opposed the Iraq war… McCain supported it, peddling the lie that Saddam was linked to 9/11. Non-Americans sense that Obama will not ride roughshod over the international system but will treat alliances and global institutions seriously: McCain wants to bypass the United Nations in favour of a US-friendly League of Democracies. McCain might talk a good game on climate change, but a repeated floor chant at the Republican convention was “Drill, baby, drill!”, as if the solution to global warming were not a radical rethink of the US’s entire energy system but more offshore oil rigs.

If Americans choose McCain, they will be turning their back on the rest of the world, choosing to show us four more years of the Bush-Cheney finger. And I predict a deeply unpleasant shift.

Until now, anti-Americanism has been exaggerated and much misunderstood: outside a leftist hardcore, it has mostly been anti-Bushism, opposition to this specific administration. But if McCain wins in November, that might well change. Suddenly Europeans and others will conclude that their dispute is with not only one ruling clique, but Americans themselves. For it will have been the American people, not the politicians, who will have passed up a once-in-a-generation chance for a fresh start – a fresh start the world is yearning for.

And the manner of that decision will matter, too. If it is deemed to have been about race – that Obama was rejected because of his color – the world’s verdict will be harsh. In that circumstance, Slate’s Jacob Weisberg wrote recently, international opinion would conclude that “the United States had its day, but in the end couldn’t put its own self-interest ahead of its crazy irrationality over race”.

Even if it’s not ethnic prejudice, but some other aspect of the culture wars, that proves decisive, the point still holds. For America to make a decision as grave as this one – while the planet boils and with the US fighting two wars – on the trivial basis that a hockey mom is likable and seems down to earth, would be to convey a lack of seriousness, a fleeing from reality, that does indeed suggest a nation in, to quote Weisberg, “historical decline”. Let’s not forget, McCain’s campaign manager boasts that this election is “not about the issues.”

Of course I know that even to mention Obama’s support around the world is to hurt him. Incredibly, that large Berlin crowd damaged Obama at home; branding him the “candidate of Europe” and making him seem less of a patriotic American. But what does that say about today’s America, that the world’s esteem is now unwanted? If Americans reject Obama, they will be sending the clearest possible message to the rest of us – and, make no mistake, we shall hear it.

My Mom and I just came back from hiking Half Dome in Yosemite. This hike is 8800 feet, 17 miles long and 12-14 hours to climb. We did it in a day. Climbing the mountain with my Mom (that’s her in the photo, on the edge) was one of the greatest days of my life. I saw a strength and will in my Mother that I didn’t know she had. She’s 61 years old and the only female over 30 to hike Half Dome that day. Just amazing to witness. Words can’t describe how difficult hiking for 14 hours with a 30 pound pack in 90 degree weather with almost no sleep is. Still, that was nothing compared to the last part which was downright terrifying. The harrowing steps and infamous cables stopped one hiker after another dead in their tracks. I saw men and women come down sobbing because they were so shaken. There’s no way to be prepared for the disappointment of not getting to the top after climbing 12-14 hours! It’s the ultimate let down. I know because I was one of the people who couldn’t. But my Mom did. She was beyond exhausted but her determination was like a Fearless Warrior. I have never been more proud of her than that day.

The next morning we were packing up our hotel room and, I don’t know if it’s because we were tired or what, but somehow hurtful words were exchanged. I can’t really remember a time when we’ve ever been in a “fight” but there we were. Of course, we’re okay now but the “point” of the pain around our fight was profound. Feeling the fear of heights is nothing compared to the fear of loving. What I got was how afraid people are, especially in a close relationship, to disappoint each other – so they aren’t honest. We have to be so brave and emotionally mature for a relationship to work. Moreover, we must trust and allow the connection to naturally unfold, unattached to an idealized outcome. And, that’s who I want to be in the world.

When we got home she sent me this Rainbow piece. Not too long ago, I had emailed it to her because it’s beautiful. She said she was re-gifting it back for both of us.

The Most Beautiful Rainbow

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn’t supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it’s harder every time. You’ll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You’ll fight with your best friend. You’ll blame a new love for things an old one did. You’ll cry because time is passing too fast, and you’ll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you’ve never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you’ll never get back. Don’t be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

From: Barack Obama
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 6:28 AM
To: Michelle Sorro

Subject: Forward this email

Michelle —

You’d be surprised by how many people you know who aren’t registered to vote.

Registration deadlines are coming up soon, and we need every single vote we can get to win this election.

Tell your friends, family, and neighbors to check out our new one-stop voter registration website.

Just forward this message.

VoteforChange.com makes it easier than ever to register. Instead of tracking down the right forms, all you need to do is answer a few basic questions and you’ll be ready to vote. You can also:
• Confirm your existing registration
• Apply to vote absentee
• Find your polling place

If you don’t know your own registration status or you’d like to learn more, take a minute to visit the site right now.

This race is too close and too important to stay home on Election Day.

If you take the time to register and vote — and make sure everyone you know is registered as well — we’ll be able to turn the tide of the past eight years.

It’s people just like you who will transform this nation.

Thanks,

Barack