Looking Back, Looking Ahead

A year ago my posts were filled with talk of the election. A year from now I guess they will be, too. Right now I'm just shaking my head and hoping for the best.

The last election broke my heart. And not just a little. I told myself I wasn't ever going to let myself care about politics that deeply again. And I was truly only on the periphery of the intense work that political campaigns demand from participants. But even that was more than enough for me. Because for the first time, the people who were running were my friends. It was more than endorsing a political point of view for me. I believed in them as people.

But already in Howard County candidates for the Board of Education are announcing, and I can't feel indifferent about that. I feel the familiar sense that our community has a responsibility to our children and that we have an opportunity to make things better. And I just can't turn my head away and not care.

Community, responsibility, opportunity, improvement. That's what it all comes down to, or it should. Whether it's local or national. Last year, after the election, I shared this from my friend Lisa Marini Schlossnagle:

"This post by Lisa B, Mrs. S. did a lot towards helping me get my feet back in the ground. "Let's get it done," she says.

I know what I stand for. I know what problems concern me most, and all I want is to see them solved. I don't care about credit. I don't care who does it. I just want it done. I want people to have food and shelter and recreation. I want people to earn wages on which they can live and thrive. I want people to have health care. I want excellent schools for all children.I don't care who does it. I just want it done.How can I help?"

And that's what politics is all about, Charlie Brown. I guess that's why I'm probably not done with it, either.