SPOILER ALERT: I am a liberal. I do not apologize for it. That’s the way I roll. I try not to get preachy in WhatIfYouCouldNotFail.com, but today I do. If it bothers you, don’t read it.
A friend of mine—Spike Dolomite Ward (Spike is a Facebook pal—I have never met her in person—but I do not think she would have a problem with me calling her a friend) has been having her fifteen minutes of fame for the last six months.
Spike campaigned for President Obama in 2008, but later changed her affiliation from Democrat to Independent when she concluded Obama did not deliver on health care. Then we dip into a huge recession and both Spike and her husband are self-employed. They made the choice to pay the mortgage and drop the health insurance. They couldn’t pay both.
Now it is late 2011. Spike learns she has breast cancer. She despairs, but then discovers, much to her surprise, that the PCIP (pre-existing condition insurance plan) portion of Obamacare will cover her. She still has to pay a premium, but she has hope (reminds me of a recent presidential campaign theme).
In December 2011 Spike pens an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, her public apology to President Barack Obama for bad-mouthing him when, in fact, she did not take the time to learn about the health care act. It was a powerful piece and I shared it on Facebook. Within days I was once again reminded that I am not unique. Lots of other folks also thought Spike’s editorial was powerful, including The White House, which called her personally.
Spike gave numerous television interviews. She traveled to Washington, D.C. to testify. She also underwent chemotherapy, lost her hair, and had a double mastectomy just last week.
Yesterday, when the Supreme Court largely upheld Obamacare, Spike was interviewed by MSNBC. Today her second op-ed appears in the Los Angeles Times.
Spike saw a situation and did something, motivated by little more than a sense of what was right. Although she is a professional artist, it was her pen that pushed her into the limelight.
Some people plan for years to become part of history. Others–like Spike—do the right thing and history is thrust upon them. One day one of us is going to pen an op-ed piece, a novel, a poem, an essay, or something else that will change the way people think, and it will thrust us into the limelight. We might not be looking for it, but it could happen.
Here’s to hoping we handle it well.
See ya’ later.
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