C Day is here

Convention Day. It starts today, with mostly setup for us - the popcorn machine, posters, banners, cards, pens, t-shirts, flowers, tablecloths - you know. Party stuff. I haven't been sleeping well for the last few nights, anxious about the weekend, I'm sure. I wrote my second speech last night, and although it was funny, I still think it was good. I read it to Steve and asked him if it was okay that I proved his financial responsibility with questioning my shoe purchases, and he said, "Who cares what anyone thinks, Susie? I just want you to be yourself." What a guy - here I am, dressing up in my black dress and Jackie O. pearls and sensible shoes to appear as "normal" as possible, yet he still encourages me to just be myself. Is that all right? Demons from my past drift forward - those doubts that whisper, "You're too much - you're too odd, too eccentric, too bohemian - just be normal. Say normal things, do normal things, act like a normal human being." Then I realize - what the heck? None of us are normal - what does "normal" mean, anyway? Boring, most likely - fitting within a VERY narrow range of behavior, determined by middle of the road behavior, set by middle of the road people or tests (are there tests for normalcy?)

So although I'm still wearing my sensible (but beautiful) black dress, I'm wearing my bright yellow suede heels with the puff balls on them, and my beautiful glass necklace with gold and rainbow flecks in it. I'll be 6'4" - I don't care. We're going out there to have fun. We have no idea what's going to happen, we just know we each gave it our best shot. I will rest, however, after this is done. Returning to teaching Sunday School, seeing clients, teaching God and Me at Boy Scouts, and going to visit Mom and Dad. On second thought, I guess it's not taking a rest at all - just taking a rest from the campaigning. Do I like politics? I don't like some of the deceit I've been seeing - candidates lying, or being unethical. I always wanted to lash out (but didn't), and Steve kept saying, "We're running a clean campaign." But it was frustrating to see opponents lying - saying they supported something when it's in the record that they opposed it, seeing they using lists that they weren't supposed to be using, saying they were qualified when they weren't. Did we do that? Honestly, no. We looked at the facts, looked at Steve's history, and carefully spoke truths about Steve, not anything negative about anyone else. Will this honesty, will this new energy commitment pay off? Will it triumph over the good ol' boys network, business as usual, you scratch my back I'll scratch yours energy? We'll just have to see. At any rate, we can hold our heads high, knowing we ran this campaign with integrity, honor, and compassion.

Thanks to all of you who supported us through e-mails and phone calls (even contributions). We are blessed to have so many friends in this world. Look for me to return to a quasi-normal state in the near future (whatever normal means). I'm off to go for a LONG walk before starting last-minute errands and setups. Phew!