The Long Haul

Like many people, I have not stayed on one road my entire life. There have been off ramps and off roads but all of them lead to where I am today. When I was younger, I was on a road of childish glee, where I saw my life from another person’s view. This lens was my imagination; it blinded me from the road ahead of me but assured me that I was going in the right direction. Disneyland was one of the places where my imagination could flourish, where I was not weird, I was not different, I was accepted. Disneyland was the only place where I did not have to worry about not being accepted, something that was prominent throughout my childhood. This sense of belonging was important to me from an early age, despite still having my innocence intact. At times, my lens would start to turn toward reality but I would always stop it as I knew that I was different. I knew that I could keep my imagination longer than most kids, and I wanted it to stay that way. The war between my curiosity and my innocence ended eventually but looking back, I am happy I was able to keep it balanced for as long as I did. While this lens might have flipped, leaving my innocence behind me, the childish idea of a bright future kept driving me forward on the road ahead of me.

Recently I went on a road trip; on said trip I realized how much it is like life. When you first start the adventure, there is this sense of newness, this sense of excitement that can turn any crappy fifty dollar motel room into something fun and adventurous. As the days go on and the newness wears off, where finding a working tv becomes magical, where the road becomes long and exhausting and the adventure feels like a chore. Then suddenly, you find yourself staying at an expensive hotel, having high tea where the queen once was. After this magical day, the road starts to feel long again; suddenly you wish to be home. Then once you are home you miss the long days on the road where an end never seemed in sight because you could only see in the moment, never in the future. This is a lot like life, especially my current life. I’m in the stage of life where the road is long, you still have one thousand miles to go and the traffic keeps getting worse. I know the expensive hotel and high tea in British Columbia is coming, but every mile feels like an eternity, like I’m back on the same road I was when it took two hours to go ten miles, just to cross one state border. I know this traffic will pass, but I just keep thinking that I will be stuck here, in this same spot forever.

For me, this endless road leads to the Capitol Building. My future is what I have always looked forward to and while I know it will be challenging, I know that I can handle it. My desire in life is to be a Senator, to be knee deep in politics and help shape our country for the better. Be the next John McCain, but a Democrat. Be the selfless person who will put country over party, take the long road instead of what is easy. I want the next generation of America to know that politics does not have to be corrupt, that the Senate and House of Representatives is not just for rich white men, not just for the people who look only for power, instead a place where anyone of any race, sexuality, or opinion can make a difference in the world around them. Where people can debate but at the end of the day respect each other. We might have hate in this world but that doesn’t mean we must hate everyone with a different opinion from us. It is crucial for people to see this, especially in today’s world where all you see is the negatives.This future of adventure excites me, and while I know that I will be stuck in traffic for a long time, the Capitol Building will be coming. I have a passion for it, and I look forward to the long haul.
