I was going to a retreat center in the mountains to do a mini-workshop with a shaman. I arrived late and walked out of the lodge to find the group. I walked down the path in the snow, and caught the last of the “ritual” with the (Inuit?) shaman sitting by the fire, doing some sort of blessing. Then it was over. Heading back, I found myself walking with Barack. I somehow knew him on a personal level, and we chatted about how the campaign was going, how he was …