The Hangover

With the August 2012 elections behind us, and my campaign completed, I’m finding myself wondering what to do with all this spare time that, just a week ago, was completely consumed in the final preparations for election day.

Don't get caught up in the aftermath, get ready for your next move.
This is common for all kinds of people who put all of themselves into something. When I worked in theater we called it “the hangover”…for a couple of reasons, but it also applies to newlyweds, the newly retired, and pretty much anything that represents a major life change.

Its easy to get caught up in the “the hangover”. The joy, or relief of a milestone can fade very quickly. The disappointment of a loss can be easily amplified. Both can leave you feeling helpless and hopeless.

The key to getting over “the hangover” is figuring out what to do…making a decision on what’s next and committing to it.

For some folks it takes a long time to figure out what it is you will decide to commit to. For others, its easy to trick yourself into thinking you’re committing when you’re really just kicking the can down the street. But if you want to make a difference…if you believe you CAN make a difference no matter how big or small, you find a way to get back up on the horse and ride.

In the short term, for me anyway, I’m working to restore some normalcy to a life that has been dominated by a campaign for 8 months. This means getting ready for another semester at U of M, catching up on some things that fell through the cracks, and spending more time with my family.

I’m also going to follow through with my oversight and investigation of wrong ballots at the Shelby County Election Commission. Still a lot of work to be done on that front. (A big thank you to Memphis City Councilmen Shea Flinn and Jim Strickland as well as the whole Council for honoring me with a resolution yesterday for working to expose the problem.)

There are some other things I’m looking at as well. Things that can make a difference not only here in Shelby County, but around the state.

I’ll save that for a later post, but for now I challenge you, dear reader, to think about ways you can make a positive difference: for your neighborhood, City, County and State.

What can you contribute, through your time and talents, to make things better?

Change takes commitment. How far are you willing to go and how much are you willing to do to make our state a better place?

Think about that tonight. Tomorrow I’ll offer some suggestions of things you can actually do to show that commitment.

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