Whenever a major life decision looms, I opt to go for a long walk.
On Friday, May 6th I engaged in this activity. The previous day, I had driven down to San Diego for a friend's wedding and ended up staying with another friend in Lakeside. On Friday morning I received a phone call from one of my contacts in the Hillary for America campaign. I had been in contact with this person fairly consistently and after Hillary Clinton's big win in the New York primary, I again touched base with this person to express an interest and desire in working for the campaign. I stressed my commitment to the cause and again reiterated the fact that I was geographically flexible and that I could easily give a 30-day notice to move out of my apartment and join the campaign wherever I might be needed. The conversation went well and my contact promised to be in touch should something become available.
But at that point, I simply couldn't take the uncertainty any longer.
So I walked. For nearly two hours in and around the hotel I was staying at in the Carmel Valley area of San Diego. The consistent holding pattern of the previous nine months had unquestionably taken its toll on me. I applied for a job then waited. I applied for a job then waited. I applied for a job then waited. This pattern of repetition was slowly gnawing away at my soul. My friends and grandparents in Sacramento were keeping me grounded but I was becoming restless. The political world was heating up. Hillary Clinton was moving ever closer to becoming the Democratic nominee. Donald Trump had recently sewn up the Republican nomination. And I was stuck in Sacramento, California wondering if I'd ever get the chance to become involved in the political world.
And so, I made a decision.
I got back from my walk around 4 P.M. and called my apartment manager to announce that I was giving my 30-day notice. I had a wedding in North Carolina scheduled for June 11th and I decided I would drive to the wedding and then from there would go wherever life took me. It might be to a job in a swing state. It might be back to New Hampshire to be with my parents. But I had to do something that would get me out of my current situation. The next day at the wedding when people asked what I did I told them I was hoping to work on a presidential campaign for the next 6 months. That response was greeted positively and even though I didn't know if that hope would become a reality there was something about saying that that simply felt right.
However, to make all that happen. I had to fit a 687 square foot apartment into a 2007 Toyota Camry. That in itself was a challenge. Fortunately, a couple of key pieces fell into place. In addition to the usefulness of Craigslist to sell some larger items, I had a friend of a friend who recently moved into a brand new apartment and needed a dining room set, coffee table, beside table, and recliner. In addition, my apartment complex just happened to have a yearly yard sale two days before I was scheduled to move out. This would allow me the chance to sell some of my smaller appliances and to give away any larger items that remained unsold. Despite the fact that I would inevitably lose money, it would be a great relief to get rid of all of my larger items rather than simply haul them to the local dump.
As this plan slowly came to fruition, I shared my thoughts with my parents via email and then got a chance to talk with them on the phone. I've always been fortunate that my parents have supported me in my journey and this latest example was no exception. Although my parents were both initially concerned about my plan, the more I explained my thought process and rationale behind my decision the more they came to support me. My dad especially knew the kind of toll being out of work for an extended period had been taking on me and so I think he understood my anxiety when it came to my next steps. My mom was said to see me leave California as she had thought that maybe that would be where I ended up. Yet in talking to her, she too, understood the reasons for my move. When I mentioned there was a chance that I would head to New Hampshire after the wedding, my parents were extremely supportive and said that I was welcome to stay there and figure out my next steps if need be. Having their support was an integral part of this process with so much uncertainty in the air.
Yet miraculously, this uncertainty quickly became a resolution.
After my interview on that Friday morning in San Diego, I ended up having an interview the very next day about a position working for the Hillary for America campaign. This was with a staffer who was in charge of staffing the key swing states and she interviewed me and then said she would pass along my information. About a week later, I spoke to a staffer who was working in Florida and who was hiring field organizers for the campaign. We had an interview which was followed up by a writing sample where I had to respond to two separate simulations that a field organizer might experience during the job. Oddly enough, I was also contacted by another staffer in Florida and he gave me the exact same simulation, within a day of my other assignment. I wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but I was excited that I was being considered for at least one, possibly two positions. The next day, this situation was clarified as I was told that I was being offered a field organizing position in Palm Beach County. I learned that I was also being considered for a position in Broward County but that Palm Beach was the more pressing need, so I was being placed there. I was offered the position which would not only be a paid position but would also situate me with supporter housing, meaning I could even save a few dollars over the course of the coming months. After ten months of unemployment, I now had landed a job working on a presidential campaign.
Despite this success, there was still an emotional side of moving I had to deal with. Specifically, letting my friends and family know that I would be leaving them in Sacramento. It was especially difficult letting my grandparents know that I would be leaving the Sacramento area. Outside of my parents, they are the most important family members in my life and I thoroughly appreciated being so close to them over the past two years. I was fortunate that I got to see them as well as my uncle twice before I left and our last meal in Sacramento took place at a Cheesecake Factory close to my apartment where we parted with loving embraces. Leaving Sacramento also meant I had to leave my Sacramento group of friends, many of whom I had become close with. As a thank you to them, I took them out for a last supper thanks to accumulated gifts cards to The Olive Garden, courtesy of my parents. Fittingly, since the last item I sold was my mattress, I spent my final night in Sacramento at my friend's home, watching Game of Thrones before saying my goodbyes on a Monday morning.
Then, I drove.
And drove. And drove. And drove. From Sacramento to North Carolina in four full days. I stayed in Kingman, Arizona on night one, Amarillo, Texas on night two, Memphis, Tennessee on night three, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina on night four. I stopped only for gas, food, and the potty. I grabbed brunch with my friend in Nashville. I stayed the night with my college advisor in Winston-Salem. When I arrived in Raleigh for the wedding, I had a chance to see several fraternity brothers I hadn't seen in years. When they asked me what I did, I told them I was working as a political organizer for the Florida Democratic Party. When they asked me how that came about, I simply smiled and told them it was a long story.
And is a story that is only just beginning.
