President Obama at ASU

So, yesterday, the brief version:

- Ambient temperature: asphalt-melting levels of hot!
- Time spent in scorching heat: approximately 8 hours
- Heatstroke/Dehydration: CHECK!
- Hearing President Obama speak in person: PRICELESS!!!

That was AMAZING!!! I'll find a link to his speech later, because y'all really should take a listen. Inspiring doesn't even begin to cover it. I still find it incredible that we have a President in the White House who, with everything he says and everything he does, motivates ME to be a better version of myself, who makes me want to do more, and BE more. That, right there, is the very definition of leadership.

But, OMG, you guys, it was so hot! (I do not exaggerate when I say the asphalt was literally melting under my feet! You could not stand in one place for more than a few seconds because your tennis shoes would be stuck to the pavement!) I'm an Arizona native; I know hot. And I know what to do to stay healthy in the heat. And I did all those things. ( Read more... )

Still, though, I'm glad I did it. That man is an inspiring orator. It was totally worth the heatstroke to hear him speak.

The President's Speech

( That is what building a body of work is all about - it's about the daily labor, the many individual acts, the choices large and small that add up to a lasting legacy. It's about not being satisfied with the latest achievement, the latest gold star - because one thing I know about a body of work is that it's never finished. It's cumulative; it deepens and expands with each day that you give your best, and give back, and contribute to the life of this nation. You may have set-backs, and you may have failures, but you're not done - not by a longshot. )

I had goosebumps almost the entire time he was speaking. Sure, some of that might have been chills and fever from the dehydration. *g* But the tears were definitely because I was moved rather than ill.

Even though this was directed at the graduates, it really resonated with me. Not only as a challenge -- to make each day one in which I'm building my body of work. But also as a message of hope -- even when I'm down, facing failure, etc., there's hope to be found in the truth that any particular moment of failure or perceived failure does not equal my body of work.

Listen to the speech. It's good stuff.

And how much do I love the way he not only handled the whole honorary degree snafu with grace, but turned it into the foundation for an inspiring address. Well done, Mr. President. Very well done.

And an extra YAY for the Kurt Warner shout out! \o/