Blairstown’s Sauerkraut Days Parade is next weekend.  Wow, that brings back memories from last year’s campaign ON the pavement…

 

Did you ever wonder what it’s like campaigning for state representative?  It’s really hard work!  You have the door knocking in the heat, dogs chasing you, the fund raising, parades, Main Street walks, the food everywhere…how do you ever stay on a diet with all the good fish frys, soup suppers and pancake breakfasts?  And then the interviews and paperwork!  There are mailings, press releases, letterhead, postcards…all to okay for design, then printing and then getting them out the door.  That’s only your offensive plan.

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But let me tell you a funny ON the PAVEMENT campaign story.  Why did I say ON the pavement?  Imagine…you’re all geared up for the Blairstown parade, one of your biggest. Your opponent is a few entries ahead of you, they all eyeball you and you all eyeball them. Its like before a big football game with the two teams eyeing each other. 

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You’re flushed with success to have pulled it all together one more time. You have more parade walkers.  Their
candy bags are full of Skittles and Nerds, everyone has on their “Pettengill for Iowans” t-shirts and they
are ready to go with cowboy cards. This is the final parade of the season..”Let’s DO IT!”  and…YOU… ARE …OFF!

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Walking, waving, shaking hands, smiling and more of the same, until only a few blocks down…uh oh, DOWN you go!  Stop, drop and ROLL!  OUCH!

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All of your walkers and the other candidates come running to help you
up.  You’re afraid to move, already had one pulled muscle from falling in someone’s yard, now what?                               

 

My teenager, God love him, flings his mammoth bag of candy, runs toward me and is the
first there to gently pick Mom up…  He says in the nicest voice I’ve heard since he was 13, “Mom, are you okay?”.  Shakily I asked, “Did I rip my pants?”.  “No, they’re good.” he replied.  “Then I’m walking.”

 

I hurt my knee, ankle, knocked a tooth loose, pulled a groin muscle, but there was minimal bleeding and Sweet Caroline, I didn’t have a blowout in my pants.  So, what do we do?

 

We get our tails up, dust ourselves off, put our smiles back on and carry on – of course…just like life.

 

By the way, if anyone in Blairstown that day thought my smile was a little off…it’s because I was holding one of my front teeth on with my upper lip.  Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “a stiff upper lip”, huh? 

 

And remember that “flushed with success” feeling I had…it doesn’t pay.  Within minutes, the Instant Karma hits. 

My life story there, but it keeps me humble and honest.