Caucus Phone Call

#1 - Last night at 8:40PM I told myself I was going to do 30 minutes of food prep.  Which meant making Tilghman's Island Stew today was kind of like being on a cooking show.  All the chopping was done, I just started adding things.

#2- I was about to wash dinner dishes when I heard the furnace kick up.  Instead of doing dishes I laid down on the floor by a vent with a book.

While I was laying there the phone rang.  I answered and a recorded voice said, "This call may be recorded for quality assurance..." I almost hung up but then started listening to the man that followed the recording.

Often times I hear people complain about the people running for office.

Other times I hear people complain that it is too soon to pay attention to those running for office.

Hopefully the same people aren't making those complaints.  Because if you want people you support to run for office, you need to help get them there, and that involves getting involved in the process long long before election day.

#3 - So the man on the phone was calling about one of the women running for governor of MN.  When I realized he was just a volunteer (and that I genuinely hadn't decided whom to support in this race), I think we were both relieved to have a short, real conversation.  I was already leaning toward the three women in the race - all of whom seemed pretty awesome.  But when the guy on the phone started telling me about Otto's specifics on her website and her endorsement by the DFL environmental caucus, I said I would take a look.

It was so refreshing to see Climate Change given a prominent place on her website.  Not only that but she walks her talk with solar panels and a wind turbine at her home and has a specific plan for the state!

#4 - Even Bill McKibben co-founder of 350.org likes it -

"The states that go on the offensive against climate change will not just help the planet--they will own a significant chunk of the future. Rebecca Otto realizes the demands of the century we live in, both environmental and economic, and she's figured out how to build a smart path forward."
-Bill McKibben, author, environmentalist, and activist.

Now I'm more excited to attend my precinct caucus on February 6th, the beginning of the process to select the official democratic gubernatorial candidate.  I'm also actually grateful to be targeted on these phone calls, because I've participated in this process before, so they care what I think.  And I appreciate the people making these calls, because I know they are doing it because they care.

#5 - Finally on a topic shift, last year I really cherished starting and ending my day with "A Year with Rilke."  I thought about just checking out poetry books from the library and starting and ending my day reading a poem, but then I saw this "Poetry -Warm-Up Activities - The Daily Spark" given as a gift by a friend a few years ago.  It has sat on my dresser staring at me ever since.  I write so few poems now I couldn't imagine writing one every day, but this book has 180 prompts, so could I do it every other day?  I didn't actually start this practice until January 8th, but I quickly caught up, and thus far have really been enjoying it.  Sometimes I sit with my prompt at breakfast or lunch and it makes that time of day so much more pleasurable.  Today's prompt was a little tricky, "Have you ever had a dream that you didn't want to wake up from?"  It wanted you to write a continuation.  I may have but I can't recall so I tried just writing from my dream this morning.

The window was open
that's why the rain came in
people below
building their shelters

My brother wanted to remember
the time when we moved
when everything changed

I wanted some of the clothes still
in the closet
the golden shirt
maybe a dress

We all were moving forward
yet stuck in the past
we all had dreams
weighted down by a smattering of fears