45 Days on the Road

It’s been about 6 weeks since I’ve started my every-other-week travels in Iowa. I’ve put almost 13,000 miles on my Jeep, introduced Andrew in Pella (thank you xanax), spoken at a UBI Rally in Minneapolis (thank you beer), put down about $100 worth of chalk, and put thousands of business cards and pamphlets in car window seals, public restrooms, Casey’s gas station billboards, Wal-Mart shelves . . anywhere a discreet eye might see it and be let in on a little secret: Google Andrew Yang.

The Iowa YangMobile

I’ve come up with dozens of ideas in that time and discarded as many. As a vet with a lot of challenges, my visions are often bigger than my mind actually allows. I cry a lot on the road. I lose time due to being unable to organize things efficiently, forgetting what I was doing, being so heavily startled by someone who saw my Yangmobile and just wanted to chat, and it takes me a while to bring myself back down and get back on task. Some days are just not days I can do anything; my brain doesn’t cooperate, my anxiety keeps me frozen, and the most I can do is drive. But those are not all my days, and I am thankful.

But it’s more than I’ve done in a long time, and it’s the most meaningful thing I’ve done in years. I test and find my limits, I push them, I regret it sometimes, but I know big-picture wise, it will be worth it.

I’ve made so many friends in the #YangGang who are following my journey and they give me life - especially my fellow vets like Richard Porter and Russ Toll. Without them, I’d be a lot less effective than the hardly effective I currently think I am. They keep me going - Richard with his not so subtle but still kind reminders to do things, Russ with his military hero style inspirational speeches even Joe Biden could take a page from, that I definitely don't deserve.

Yang changes the world, so I have to fight. There will never be another candidate like him in my lifetime.

I'm glad to be here on this journey with you all, and thanks for having me - together, we will do this!