I’m a little surprised, because we’re having some real health issues in our family, making it hard to concentrate on campaigning. I didn’t buy any ads or lawn signs. About all I got done was whenever I had a couple free hours, I’d knock on doors and ask people if they had any suggestions for what could be done better. To make it a little more complicated, because of redistricting I was walking around talking to people who had no idea who I was. So, I guess the road to victory depended on the voters not knowing anything about me.
It was, as always, educational. Employers expressed worry about day care problems, people who live along the lake want better fishing and water quality to protect their investment, an old lady wants to stay in her house but needs just a little more help to do so. People are worried about health care and schools, property taxes and roads. It’s the best thing about local government - many of the problems are small enough to fix.
The worst thing? People expect you to fix them.
I tried to be philosophical about the possibility of losing, but the last time I lost an election was in 1972, for captain of the football team, and I’m still not completely over that. It’s probably just as well I was successful.
Not being elected would have damaged my ego and cost me a little money, but it would have freed up enormous amounts of time. When I looked at my calendar Wednesday morning, I realized roughly 90% of the commitments involved meetings of one kind or another. That led me to think about my great-grandparents.
They got off the boat in 1880. Records show Great-Grandpa was elected to school boards, township boards and church boards within a few years, probably before he could speak much English. Great-Grandma doesn’t show up. I suppose because homesteading women were such fragile blossoms.
In 1929, they marked their 50th wedding anniversary and a nice little article about the celebration was published in the local paper. It mentioned their fine house and 400 acres free of encumbrance.
“Free of encumbrance.” That’s the phrase I’ve remembered all these years.
It sounds good. It sounds like they led a free and easy life in their nice house on their paid-for farm.
But I wonder.
They’d left a place where their family had lived for 1,000 years. They’d come to a strange place and worked harder than most of us can even imagine. They’d realized they needed more than corn and wheat, they also needed civilization. It’s remarkable that in the tiny amount of spare time they had, they invented it.
There’s more. Six miles away in a tiny cemetery, three of their children were buried. I can’t imagine, literally can’t imagine, how encumbered that would make someone feel.
I know people, a few people, who I think are unencumbered. They think only of themselves, and their little world exists in a universe where everything revolves around them. There are a few days when I envy them, but those days are few and far between. I guess I like encumbrance.
I poked a little fun at the election, but just is an attempt to make you smile. In truth, I take the results very seriously. To those of you who voted for me, I’ll try very hard to justify your trust. To those who voted against me, please remember I never asked for your vote, but I did ask for your suggestions, and I listened.
This is a great country. To keep it, improve it, and defend it requires so much.
Mainly people willing to put up with a little encumbrance.
I'm glad you liked it. You're not the only one with complicated feelings about the United States. One of my favorite poems is by James Wright - The Flying Eagles of Troop 62. It's a great poem, you can find it online, but if you don't have the time to look it up, here's the final paragraph.
"When I think of Ralph Neal's name, I feel some kind of ice breaking open in me. I feel a garfish escaping into a hill spring where the crawdads burrow down to the pure bottom in hot weather to get the cool. I feel a rush of long fondness for that good man Ralph Neal, that good man who knew us dreadful and utterly vulnerable little bastards better than we knew ourselves, who took care of us better than we took care of ourselves, and who loved us, I reckon, because he knew damned well what would become of most of us, and it sure did, and he knew it, and he loved us anyway. The very name of America often makes me sick, and yet Ralph Neal was an American. The country is enough to drive you crazy."
It's going to be a little while. We have Covid at our house, and even though with all our vaccinations, etc., it's only like a bad cold, the damn tests keep coming up positive.
You must be very proud of the encumbrances your family haven taken on rhrough the years. This country, our communities, and one another, could do with a lot more folks willing to be encumbered beyond their own worlds, if they are able. Another spot on article. Thank you.
Hi Brent, I'm glad you took this on. You're precisely the type of person who should. Got to the line 'this is a great country ' and there was a time when I was to bitter to agree. But I'm writing this from the deep south, Natchez Mississippi, and I wholeheartedly agree. America has a habit of surprising me when I really shouldn't be surprised. The fact that it produced a fine gentleman like you really proves there's an awful lot of good!
You do honor the Creator with your life. Your work and your « recreation »…thank you!
Please send this through Facebook with SHARE provision so that I may easily post it on my timeline. Ja. MY timeline. I and my friends need to read this.
I'm glad you liked it. You're not the only one with complicated feelings about the United States. One of my favorite poems is by James Wright - The Flying Eagles of Troop 62. It's a great poem, you can find it online, but if you don't have the time to look it up, here's the final paragraph.
"When I think of Ralph Neal's name, I feel some kind of ice breaking open in me. I feel a garfish escaping into a hill spring where the crawdads burrow down to the pure bottom in hot weather to get the cool. I feel a rush of long fondness for that good man Ralph Neal, that good man who knew us dreadful and utterly vulnerable little bastards better than we knew ourselves, who took care of us better than we took care of ourselves, and who loved us, I reckon, because he knew damned well what would become of most of us, and it sure did, and he knew it, and he loved us anyway. The very name of America often makes me sick, and yet Ralph Neal was an American. The country is enough to drive you crazy."
It's going to be a little while. We have Covid at our house, and even though with all our vaccinations, etc., it's only like a bad cold, the damn tests keep coming up positive.
You must be very proud of the encumbrances your family haven taken on rhrough the years. This country, our communities, and one another, could do with a lot more folks willing to be encumbered beyond their own worlds, if they are able. Another spot on article. Thank you.
Hi Brent, I'm glad you took this on. You're precisely the type of person who should. Got to the line 'this is a great country ' and there was a time when I was to bitter to agree. But I'm writing this from the deep south, Natchez Mississippi, and I wholeheartedly agree. America has a habit of surprising me when I really shouldn't be surprised. The fact that it produced a fine gentleman like you really proves there's an awful lot of good!
Well put- lots of encumbrance is needed in our country.
Hope you’re all feeling better soon. Thank you for the informative and well written article. Happy Thanksgiving!
Is it time to share a little wine ... from my encumbrance? Well said and well written!
Brent,
A really nice column.
Joe
An exceptional piece!
You do honor the Creator with your life. Your work and your « recreation »…thank you!
Please send this through Facebook with SHARE provision so that I may easily post it on my timeline. Ja. MY timeline. I and my friends need to read this.