Stepping Off the Platform

This week Saskatchewan held their provincial election, and so I did my civic duty and headed to the voting station. Now there is one thing that you should know about me: I do not have a political bone in my body. I have no interest, I have no opinion, and I really have no desire to even vote. I pathetically admit that we got in the car and Harv told me who we were voting for. Sigh.

I did wonder however if my vote was REALLY valid, seeing as how I had not researched what any of the parties stood for. Harv reassured me that he had indeed done all the researching for me. What a sweetheart. I knew I could count on him in a pinch. The whole thing seemed a little bit of an inconvenience, but I did however have fun messing with Harv by indicating that I was going to vote for “the enemy” simply because I preferred the hairstyle of that certain politician.

We never discussed politics growing up. There was never time amid all the discussions of farming. I still to this day have no knowledge of my parent’s political standing (thought I am sure I could guess...). I remember once asking my dad who he was voting for, and he wouldn’t tell me. So needless to say, there was not a lot of political teaching around the dinner table.

And so, I don’t know a lot about politics, and yet, with that being said, I feel like I know more about being a politician than most. In fact – I am so good at acting like one, that I am considering running for office. I feel like I have become so polished at saying the right things, schmoozing the crowds, kissing babies, and not letting a thing come out of my mouth without thinking of the PR ramifications. And you know what? I am tired. I am ready to step down. I am tired of doing all things in a hope to win the favor of the people. Lately I have started to feel like I am losing myself. Like I am on a platform and don’t even know what I am standing for; or voting without knowing who I am voting for.

And so today I wonder if it is true what they say - once a politician ALWAYS a politician? Can you ever go back to just being you after so many years of being…someone else? And after all this time can you even distinguish between the real you and the politician you?

And so today, I am stepping off the platform. As my first duty as a non-politician, I am ending this post right here. I don’t have the answers. I can’t tie this up in a properly spinned, PR appropriate bow. All I know is that I am ready for a change. For a new, more real, less politically correct me. I have no idea what that is going to look like, but I do know that for the first time in a long time, it’s something I feel excited about voting for.