In early June my husband, Jim, received a couple phone calls and emails asking him to run for mayor of our village. After a month of research, talking to the people that know what it entails and talking with our family, he decided to get his name on the ballot. With the election behind us by
a week, I thought I'd write about what we learned along the way. Some
stuff we expected to learn, some we knew and some surprised us.
1. WE HAVE FRIENDS WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW
You think you know who your friends are but after putting our necks out there you find you have more than you know. (I say "our necks" and not just Jim's neck. You'll see why later.) There are days I need to work at/from home and not leave; as everyone does at times I sometimes feel lonely, like I don't have a friend I can call and say, "hey! You wanna go grab lunch with me?" Have your husband run for Mayor and you'll find you have so many more friends that you ever thought. I've been stopped in our town shops, in neighboring towns and stores, I've gotten more calls, emails from people asking how we're doing or how we're holding up through a very busy season.
As a way to get out to meet other people Jim decided to have a bbq in other neighborhoods. Food always brings people together, right? At one of these bbqs one new friend came up to me, introduced himself and asked with all sincerity, "Are people being nice to you and your family?" This gentleman hadn't met me in person yet and was genuinely concerned for our family's well being. This kind of thing happened often and every time it touched my heart. The kindness and friendship our family was shown was at times overwhelming (in a very good way).
2. I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT ENJOYS "PEOPLE WATCHING."
When my kids were little we'd go to the mall and while my kids would spend energy in the play area, I'd watch people walk around,talk to others, help others. It's not like a creepy stalker stare :) I just enjoy watching people in different seasons of life and either remember "those days" or look forward to our next season. So many times I would be having a conversation with someone I knew and a new friend would walk up to us. I'd introduce myself and the one I was talking to would say, "her kids are so...." they'd always say something good. WHEW! Or they'd say, "she does...." "her husband is...." again..more good stuff. People do watch and are aware of what we do, say and the choices we make. As you watch people, I promise at some point someone will watch you and the choices you make. Always be kind. Always have compassion for those around you. Long ago, I saw a poster on a teacher's wall that read, "Character is defined by the choices you make when you think no one is watching." Jim's whole family put their necks out there. People let us know they saw choices the kids, Jim or myself we made. It was a great thing for the kids to learn and realize that people watch them, they take notice when a 16 yr old boy holds the door for older ladies. It was great for all of us to learn and realize we can make a difference simply by the choices we make.
3. THE NEWS ISN'T ALWAYS RIGHT
We knew this, I think we all do. They want to be the first to report "Breaking News." Well, even during an election the news can and does get it wrong. Our Village is divided between two counties. Jim won the race in one county and lost in the other. Combined numbers numbers show that "unofficially" Jim lost by 45 votes. Every news channel and one local newspaper got it wrong. They checked only one county. They don't care, it's reported, over and done. However, it's a week later and we're still explaining that the news screwed up. They got it reported fast-maybe even first, but they failed to check all their sources and information. We would never be angry, hurt or upset at anyone for asking or saying Congratulations. Though, we do feel bad for them when we explain the situation and they immediately apologize for saying anything. It's really no big deal and no one should feel bad. This isn't the end of the world. It's the end of one adventure before another new, fun adventure starts. I've thought a lot this week of my dad's advice he shared with me the night before I started high school,(he was a man of few words and what he said was always worth listening to) "Believe half you hear and half you see, a better person you will be." So...don't believe everything you hear on the news. There's a chance they don't have all the info. This was not something that we learned, but it was the first time we've experienced it first hand.
4. ABSENTEE AND PROVISIONAL BALLOTS--who knew??!
When Jim saw the poll results on the Board of Elections websites, he noticed that Absentee and Provisional ballots hadn't been tallied. This caused us to do some research. This was interesting and exciting research! Our oldest daughter is working in Texas and submitted an Absentee ballot. We called her to see what her instruction letter said with her ballot. "Absentee ballots must be post marked the day before the election (Nov 2, 2015) and delivered to the BOE by Nov 13." We then checked the website and googled when they'd be counted. We learned that the final count will be shared by November 24. We had no idea what a Provisional ballot was. It's a ballot that needs verified...someone moved, driver's license wasn't updated, need to show proof of residence or there was an error in locating their name in the voter sign in. They have 10 days to prove they live where they said they did. This year our precincts used Ipads to sign in. A few friends told me they couldn't be found electronically and then submitted a Provisional ballot. They haven't moved, have voted for years, etc. So..what's this mean for the Mayor race? The results say, "unofficial results" because all ballots haven't been received or counted. Jim can still win the election, we need to wait until Nov 24 for the "official results" to be posted. We don't know how great or slim his chances are because we have no idea how many ballots were submitted absentee or provisional. Though Jim was told last night that our Police Department Levy won by Provisional ballots a couple years ago. It's not over until every vote is counted and every voice is heard and when the website says, "Official results."
5. PEOPLE WILL SURPRISE YOU...ALWAYS!
I don't want to expand on this very much but it's true. People will surprise you...even if you think people can't surprise you...yes they will. Sometimes in good ways and sometimes in surprising or shocking ways. Win or lose (in life, a game or even an election), be classy, be kind, be respectful.
6. ENJOY THE RIDE
My brother has a motto for his band and their followers, "Enjoy The Ride." This too has been my motto for most of my life, though not in those exact words. I would often reevaluate where I was in life...Am I enjoying my journey? Is this a fun adventure? Am I on MY right journey, path or "ride"? Jim and I were talking before Election day and I asked him if he had fun running his campaign. He smiled and said, "I really did! It was fun meeting so many folks in our community. We made new friends, we learned a lot and we kept it clean and positive. Yes...I had a great time." I did too. I waited for his answer before I shared mine. Was it stressful at times? yes. Was it expensive? yes. Was it a waste of time? No. Did we do good? Yes! Did we enjoy the ride? Two thumbs up YES! Jim said, "whether or not the official results show a win or loss for me, I think I won." Yes. Yes he did! ....we all did.
