I started doing audiobooks instead of real books first because it became difficult for me to read and because I could listen on the go. After all the eye surgeries of this year, I can read the regular books again. However, I already got hooked on the convenience of listening, so more often, I listen.
As for this particular book, Obama’s “Promised Land,” there is an extra incentive for listening: Barack himself narrates the book.
Thirty hours of listening to the voice we do not hear that often anymore! Small suppressed laughs here and there. And the ability to travel back in time and relive all these amazing years again!
I remember it so well – exactly how he describes it in the book! I remember this feeling: now it’s the time! I remember how everybody was saying: it’s too soon, and at the same time the feeling was mounting: now IS the time!
I remember everybody in the City of Chicago building where I was doing my consulting work saying: he is our future president. Before anything happened, before Springfield. I remember Anna happily telling the story of her encounter with Barak on Melissa Bean’s campaign trail: you are still above us, but we appreciate the gesture! She was so happy that she made Barak laugh.
And I remember this cold February night, the night before the announcement. I remember her calling her coach: can I be excused from practice tomorrow? There is somebody who can drive me to Springfield! And I remember the silver bells in her voice: Thank you, coach!
And months later, I remember Igor securing the tickets to the UIC Auditorium, and how I was troubled by the lousy security check. I am listening to the book now, Barack telling about all the life threats he received. We didn’t know about them, but I was so scared that something will happen to him!
The “Hotel Ambassador” movie was just released, and we all went to see it. I laughed because the staffer in the movie looked and behaved so much like Anna, but I was scared to death of the possibility of Barack’s assassination.
And I remember getting on the train and hearing the whole car resonating with Barack’s name.
I am listening to the book, and I am living these days again…
Hettie's Reflections 
Those are good days to relive. We’ve come a long way since then and we’ve learned that long journeys don’t necessarily lead to good places. Hopefully in a few weeks we’ll find ourselves leaving the dark age.
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I sore hope so! Thanks for reading 🙂
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To add a bit of history for my nieces and any future #nextgen that may read this – I spent Election Day hanging out in now-demolished portions of Bensenville, taking pictures.
I didn’t get home until around evening, and my mom wondered what the heck could possibly be more important than election. I decided not to elaborate. Oh well. There was no chance of me getting anywhere near Grant Park back then, I got to see the election results come in live on TV, so it worked out.
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Maybe, you can elaborate for future generations in a separate post. It is a part of history as well, after all
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