pics on Sodahead

About five weeks ago, my mother decided to run for City Council in her town. It was definitely a last minute decision, but she leaped right in with both feet. She financed the campaign herself on a shoestring. There were yard signs, buttons, a website (which I built and maintained), and a Facebook fan page. Some kind soul donated a few T-shirts. Another donated some magnetic car signs. And Mom walked through the neighborhoods, visiting homes and talking with people. There were also flyers, which she printed up on a color laser and distributed during her walks.

She held a Meet the Candidate event, helped by her neighbors who made cookies and things. It was held in a beautiful historic home that someone has turned into an events place. She also had a television interview, and she toured the 911 Call Center and attended a couple of other candidate events.

It was most definitely a new adventure. Elections were Tuesday, and while she didn't win, she received 26% of the vote in a three way race and came in second. In five weeks time, she made enough of an impact to get hundreds of people to vote for her instead of one of the other guys. I think that's pretty cool!

I guess why I'm telling you this is so you know that you are never too old, too set in your ways, or too (fill in the blank) to have a new adventure. Mom is disappointed, of course, but she's not giving up (remember that theme, writers!). She's going to turn her site into a local politics blog, and she's going to get involved. Did I mention she's also a senior in college? Mom isn't old (60s isn't old these days), but she could easily sit at home and say she's too old for new adventures. She retired from her job, but she hasn't retired from life.

Now, if she's reading this, she'll be the first person to think she's not doing anything extraordinary or that she didn't do a good enough job to win the race. But we know differently, don't we?

Get involved, try new things, write that book, and don't give up. You are never too old (tired, dumb, lazy, etc) for a new adventure. If you've embarked on a new adventure, tell us about it!