Autumn is a filled with significance for me. My birthday is in September. October 29th is my wedding anniversary. October 13th (a Friday that year) is when we closed on our home in Cumberland. Five years ago, the end of October marked the end of a long year of cancer treatments, fittingly, because it is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
This year fall has been about campaigning. In a few days, the election will be over, but next year, when I’m thinking of all the normal anniversaries, I’ll think of this time, too: This moment before then end, when I can appreciate the journey without needing to know the outcome.
I decided to run because I love Cumberland. Though I grew up in Lincoln, when my husband and I decided to purchase a home, I knew Cumberland was the place I wanted to be. I have friends and family here, but it was about more than the people I already knew. It was about strangers I met in Dave’s, the Monastery, and Mercy Woods, who represent the best of our community. Kind people who want to stop and chat or offer a helping hand.
Campaigning can be difficult, but it is also an opportunity to experience a profound sense of gratitude. I’ve met so many people who shared stories about their own lives, as I, a stranger, stood on their doorstep hoping to earn their support. People have shared so much about what they love about our community and what they’d like to see in the future. I am forever grateful.
I expected them to be annoyed that I was knocking, but I found kindness and patience and welcoming behind most every door that opened. It inspires a deep sense of gratitude in me. It’s what smooths over the rougher edges of campaigning: being vulnerable, putting yourself out there, taking a leap. Six people believed in me enough to appear on a mailer showing their support. One of them is a dear friend I’ve known since I was a teenager. The other five, including our current mayor, are all people I met after I decided to run. What a tremendous gift their support is.
Thank you to those I’ve met and those who’ve called and emailed and messaged me. Thank you to Cumberland for being as wonderful as I thought you were, even before I had the privilege of living here. Next fall, what I will remember most as I think back on this time is not whether I won or lost on election night, but how grateful I am for the time and effort so many of you shared with me on this journey.
-Jodi
PS: It was surreal to vote for myself and even more special that my husband was home and able to vote at the same time.
Comments