You might have seen this image before, I am recycling today.
Oddly enough, this notepad was given to me by the woman who roped me into the biggest volunteer gig of my life; trying to pass a school bond. For those who were with me back then it was a magical time of passion and community activism at its finest. And of course at its worst.
We lost the fight that year but what I gained was the knowledge that a grass roots effort can be mobilized out of thin air. Not to mention the life-long friendships I forged with people who taught me so much.
I also learned that it is not always such a great idea to wake the sleeping giant of the opposition. (we sickeningly remember that as waking the sleeping no voters. that year there were quite a few who showed up on oxygen and with IV polls, but that is a story for another day). Yes, we lost that time around. In a big way. In fact my friends Dave, Cathy and I still introduce ourselves as the group that single-handedly failed the first school bond. We are quite infamous.
This Time to Cry Tuesday just happens to fall on the very day of our annual School Budget Vote. Sadly, passing a budget in this town has become a very difficult task. Year after year I worked the phones, handed out flyers, threatened my husband and did everything within my power to get out the vote. These days I have left the effort to the new wave of parents.
But the passion never dies.
To all my friends in the zip code, please do not forget to vote. And if your kids are over 18, make sure they vote too. Even if your kids are out of the district, help pass this budget for the sake of the new families who are the life of this community. After all, when our kids were younger the generation before us showed us the same commitment.
Here’s to my love/hate relationship with the act of volunteering. I am taking a little break for awhile, but no worries, I will be back.
Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog.
For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone
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i could cry but i don't have time 
Aren’t we nostalgic. Yes good friendships grew out of a cause. But I still maintain that we needed to fail the first bond to get a bond to pass. And as Amy said: all those in the zip don’t forget to vote. May 19th, it matters.