Ever the Optimist ... Even in the Face of Politics

There are glass-half-empty sorts of people and glass-half-full sorts of people. 

I’m more of a glass-overflowing sort of gal, so as a rule I’m ridiculously optimistic.  I think it’s a genetic pre-disposition toward happiness. Which is not a bad thing, but it does sometimes make it hard for me to understand the motivations of others not so inclined. Never has this been as obvious to me as it is now that I’ve entered a political arena. Not even a large arena, but wow. Just WOW. Who’da thunk there’d be so much … oh I don’t know….. politics, in politics? 

On the bright side, and there always is a bright side in my world, I’m meeting some absolutely lovely people that I likely wouldn’t have met if I hadn’t thrown my hat into the Aldermanic ring in Crestwood. Out of the blue I’ve had folks call and just want to chat about our city, offer their support, put signs in their yards for me, hand out flyers, and introduce me to their friends and neighbors. 

I’ve talked to a lot of my Crestwood neighbors in the last few weeks, and plan to talk to a lot more of them before the election. I’m trying to really get a feel for what people want for their city, what’s broken and what isn’t, and ideas for fixing what is. I certainly have my own ideas on these topics, but I think our aldermen should be more than just their single voice, I believe that they should be a true representation of the community. And really, what kind of ego would you have to have to think you alone have all the answers?   

One recurring theme I’m hearing is that families with small kids would really like to have more voices on the Board of Aldermen to represent younger families in our community. After the article that appeared in Bloomberg Businessweek magazine naming Crestwood the “Best Place to Raise Kids in Missouri”, and with the continuing excellence of our Lindbergh schools, we’re going to see this group continue to grow. What a wonderful opportunity for us to improve our city! We’ve got real leverage with this! Retailers will want to be here if we can sell our city to them using this tact. Tie in the Route 66 theme and we’ve got a real winner here! But I digress ... it's that whole optimistic thing again.

Whether I'm elected or not, we should have more representation for our younger families. Ideally we should have a mix on our board that is representative of our community. Let’s face it, at different stages of life people have different wants and needs. I know this is tough though, because most of us with young kids don’t feel that we can take the time to do anything but raise our families. We don’t have the luxury of spare time that being empty nesters provides (and I doubt there’s a parent with small kids out there who would change that for the world right now ... well, that may not be entirely accurate. It IS the middle of spring break, and I’m pretty sure that by Thursday my husband and I will happily volunteer to empty our nest by whatever means possible).

But still, I believe that it’s important to serve not only your family, but your community too. What a great lesson for your kids, and you know they’re watching. (You particularly know this if you ever slip and say a bad word—which will then be repeated gleefully in the near future by your little darling as soon as they are within ear shot of your mother-in-law.) 

So, what do I take from all this? Whether I win or lose on April 3 (and there will be something to celebrate in either circumstance), this has already turned out to be a really interesting and eye-opening experience. I am trying to serve my community, and my kids are noticing, they want to help make our city better, too. One of my 8 year olds has even officially taken on the role of my campaign manager.  

It makes me very happy that I’m not a politician, but instead, as always, an optimist.