We're almost to the end of a remarkable journey

"Everything about this election is electrifying!" -- Sybil Boyd

Long after the presidential election is over, I'll remember Tuesday evening, June 3, 2008. The long primary season was finally coming to an end. I had just arrived in St. Paul, Minn., for a business meeting, and learned that Sen. Barack Obama was scheduled to give his victory speech across the street from the hotel I had checked into. You could feel the energy and sense of excitement in the air as people lined up for blocks to get into the arena. It was some sight to witness, watching such a diverse group of people from all walks of life patiently wait to hear Obama. It's one moment I will not forget in this long campaign season.

A friend, Moses, had a similar experience during the primaries when Obama came to the Reunion Arena in Dallas. "We were in the numbers ... outside!" he said. "Yet, the number of people and the ‘air' of unification were overwhelming." He felt a sense of inclusion he had not experienced before.

According to a campaign worker who has actively knocked on doors and encouraged people to vote, one word describes her involvement: excitement! That's a common thread for many people. They have been touched in a personal way, like never before. They are really engaged. According to her, that is "a piece that's been missing in politics for almost two generations." A week ago, she sat and watched people stand in line for hours just to cast an early vote. "And not one person complained."

"It's incredible to be a witness to it all," another friend told me. The possibility of a black American being this close to the White House is amazing to her. "It has taken so long for our voices (all voices) to be heard, and it comes in the very being of Barack Obama -- one of us."

To another person, this campaign will be remembered as "a spiritual movement." She believes "something has shifted with this campaign," something bigger than all of us has aligned the stars to ensure change. "I think Obama is the conduit that has stimulated a movement like no other. With or without his physical presence in the White House, he has caused us all to look differently at the world and he has done so with honor, intellect and a sense of spiritual purpose," she said thoughtfully.

Maybe you can identify with this college professor who talked about "how time seemed to have stood still ... everything else became secondary to the campaign." We have been through hotly contested primaries, comebacks when it appeared a campaign was over, talking about wars and rumors of wars, and now the economy has taken center stage. His wife, he says, has been energized more than he has ever seen before. She has always been interested in things political, but "this time, she is watching the news every day." It is a family affair, too. His parents have always been politically active, but until this year they have never contributed financially to a national campaign. They've done so twice, now. It's a historic occasion to be part of in our lifetime, young or old. And his children are focused, as so many young people are today, on the future. They are already thinking about the morning after the election. Will it be joy, a celebration or disappointment and unpredictable rage? People's hearts and souls have been invested like never before. Hope is at a high level. Some tears will be shed on Wednesday -- whatever the outcome.

I have cast my early vote for Obama; so has my wife. A friend and her husband have, too, taking their 5-year-old son with them. "Who did you vote for?" his mother asked him. He whispered, "Barack Obama," as they exchanged high-fives. Then he surprised her when he said out loud, "But I really was going to vote for McCain."

This race has encouraged endless conversations amnog family members, co-workers, campaign workers and strangers. A day, it seems, doesn't go by without a discussion about the race for president. We have talked about and debated racism, ageism, sexism, classism, wars, jobs, taxes and change. And that's all good.

One thing is for sure: There will be a change on Tuesday. It's what happens after the morning after the night before that will determine if it is "Change We Can Believe In." While we don't know the outcome of the vote, we all should be proud of the distance we have traveled and the progress we have made. Now the real work begins. What an unexpected and remarkable journey it has been.

■ Nigel Alston is a Dale Carnegie trainer and motivational speaker. He can be reached at nalston1@triad.rr.com.