Regardless of which side of the fence (or wall) you occupy, the 2016 Presidential Election has probably drummed up some strong emotions in you. You’re either furious, disheartened, sickened and anxious, or you’re jubilant, encouraged, validated and optimistic.
 
It’s time to channel all that energy into something good. It’s time to end the gloating, or the wallowing, whichever the case may be, and actually do something. I’m talking to myself here, too!
 
Since we don’t all have the ability or the desire to run for public office, here are some suggestions for walking the political walk as an active and concerned citizen.

• Pay attention. Arm yourself with knowledge of what’s going on in Congress and with the Executive Branch. Read the news from different sources. Don’t take everything at face value. If you see a politician say or do something that concerns you, contact that person’s office and let your opinion be known. 
• Put your money (and time) where your beliefs are. Are you passionate about certain causes and groups of people? Make a short list of organizations you would like to support. Then decide how you will support them—with time, money, or both. Budget your time and money for the coming year accordingly.

• Start at home. Many a movement has started in a hometown and branched out to the entire country, or even to the world. Think about what you can do locally to improve your community. Will you tutor or mentor underprivileged youth? Will you donate or raise awareness for the local food bank? Will you help gather Christmas gifts for struggling families? Will you volunteer to speak at local schools? How will you serve your friends and neighbors?
• Dial down social media. If you’re inundated with political vomit in your social media news feed, try uninstalling the Facebook app from your phone for a few days. You can also unfollow or unfriend people who steal your joy with their incendiary and ignorant posts. It’s just not worth the headache. 
• Get in touch with your political representatives. Visit this site to find your representative in the U.S. House: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/. Visit this site to find your U.S. Senator: http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/. Click here to find information on your state legislature: https://www.congress.gov/state-legislature-websites. It’s as easy as a phone call, an email or a letter.
• Above all else, don’t lose hope. Here’s a little glimmer of inspiration for you. 

 
“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”— Harry S. Truman
 
“The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.”—Alexis de Tocqueville
 
“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”—John F. Kennedy
 
God bless America, regardless of her many imperfections.
 
Here are some articles with wonderful ideas on specific causes you can support:
If You’re Overwhelmed by The Election, Here’s What You Can Do Now
What Can I Do Right Now?
Forget “Why?”, it’s time to get to work.

Hello, readers! I am super excited to announce the launch of my new author page on Facebook, here: 
https://www.facebook.com/authormegansharma/

This is for my recently written book, "When Medicine Meets Holy Matrimony: A Surgeon's Wife Tells It Like It Is". I am currently working toward traditional publication. 

On the author page I'll share book and blog news and updates, industry latest in the world of medicine, writing tips, fun photos, book sneak peaks, and opportunities to win prizes. You won't want to miss it!

Give it a "like" today, and thanks for your support!
​

I’m not yet ready to discuss the Presidential Election and its aftershocks. Nope. This week I’m going to keep it light, for humor is often the best medicine.
 
As I was driving to my favorite café today, I started thinking about the things that I still don’t understand about living in the Midwest. I have only officially lived here since July 2015—that’s less than a year and a half, if you’re counting. So, that makes me a newbie to the region.
 
Here are some of the mysteries of the Midwest that I have yet to unravel (feel free to help a girl out if you can explain!): 

1. Roadside fires. When I first noticed this phenomenon last fall, I was very concerned that some poor, unsuspecting homeowner’s life was about to go up in smoke. Then I noticed several different fires off the main road to our house. It turns out that folks around here have a penchant for burning their own yard waste, often in ditches right next to a busy road. The result is stinky, smoky, and will tempt you to call the fire department. Even my next-door neighbors are known for burning their own yard waste AND TRASH in a big rusted trash receptacle a little too close to our property line. One time I witnessed them burning Styrofoam. Because that is super great for our air quality. 

2. Vanity plates. Why does everyone feel the need to express themselves via their license plates? QT 84, HOTDOC, LAUGH4U…just get a bumper sticker. 

 3. The Horseshoe. Yes, this is a bona-fide local delicacy. Begin with a giant pile of French fries. Add Texas toast. Add a hamburger patty or two. And douse generously with cheese sauce. I will admit that I have not yet tried it because it sounds like something I only want to eat if I’ve had too many beers. I will eventually get around to trying it. The thing that throws me for a loop is the Texas toast. Why does it need to be there? 

4. The expression, ‘and that’. I have only heard this phrase in the Midwest. Let me put it into context. “I’ll be reviewing your application, your references, and that.” That what? Do they mean to say ‘and so on’ or ‘etc.’?

5. Ranch style homes. Ranch homes, which are one level, are incredibly popular ‘round these parts. Because: tornadoes? Or, because: stairs are too much work? I personally prefer the classic two-story home and having truly separate living and sleeping space. To each their own. 

6. Random temporary fencing in empty corn fields. Now that the corn has been harvested, many a corn field lies empty around town. In some of these fields, small, temporary fencing has been installed in seemingly random places, leaving gaping holes across the length of the field. What is this about? Is it to prevent cars from driving into the cornfield by mistake? Or does it provide a barrier for deer? I genuinely want to know. 

7. Men’s discount day at Farm and Home Supply. There is a Farm and Home Supply store right next to my favorite Panera, so I happened to see a sign advertising a discount day for men. Because men are clearly underrepresented in society today. 

8. Lack of toilet seat covers. On the West Coast, toilet seat covers in restaurants and retail establishments are ubiquitous. Here, they are few and far between. This bothers me because of the sheer ‘ick’ factor. Also, there is no extra waste basket near the door so that you can take a paper towel and use it to cover the door handle when you exit, thereby protecting yourself from the germs of the inevitable non-hand-washers. That’s probably a germophobic Seattleite thing. 

9. Video poker parlors everywhere. You see establishments dedicated to video poker all over town in various strip malls. And some restaurants also find it cool to advertise dining and playing the slots. But it’s not classy, people. It’s just not. 

10. I can’t think of a 10th item. But I will say one thing I appreciate now that I’m a mom: the plethora of drive-through dining options! I frequent the Panera drive-thru and we even have a local Asian restaurant with a pick-up window (Mimosa). It’s fabulous!

​Can you help me understand these Midwest oddities? What about your town or region leaves you scratching your head? Leave a comment! 

​Today is election day in America. This is your big chance to get out and VOTE! Find your polling place here.
 
Still deciding? Not sure if it’s worth your time?
 
Here are my top 5 reasons to vote:

1. You are an American and that is what we do. We are fortunate to live in a country that truly values democracy. What is it like elsewhere in the world? Cuba is a communist state where the wealthy rule. In Turkmenistan, a “democracy” on paper, government representatives do not act in the public interest, denying the freedoms of association, expression and religion. In Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy ruled by the King, the government is based on Islamic law and is dominated by the royal family. Torture and harsh punishment, such as amputation of hands and feet for robbery, are common.
2. ​Your vote matters—especially if you live in a swing state. If you were paying attention in 8th grade civics class, or have watched CNN lately, you will know that the candidate who receives the majority of electoral votes (270) wins the presidency. In Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, New Hampshire, Ohio, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada, the race is extremely close and every vote counts. Just ask Al Gore about the importance of Florida.
3. You’re a woman or you love someone who is. For the first time in U.S. history, a woman has accepted a major party’s nomination for president. No matter how you feel about Hillary Clinton (I’m with her!), this is a milestone that deserves, at the very least, the courtesy of being taken seriously. The way you can take it seriously is to exercise your right to vote. It only took us 240 years to get here.
4. You want to set a good example for your children. We all know that children learn by example. What kind of example do we set if we sit this one out? We’re telling our kids that being part of our democracy is not important. That we don’t have a voice. And that is the wrong message to send to our youth.
5. You care about the future of this country. This election has BIG implications for what lies ahead. The balance of the Supreme Court, how we will deal with threats like ISIS, where we stand in world affairs, human rights, gender equality—you know, little things like that.

 
Honestly, I could write so much more on this subject if I weren’t at home caring for a sick toddler today.
 
The bottom line is: voting is both a right and a privilege. Don’t take it for granted. 

In the spirit of election season, I’m taking a trip down memory lane, back to my time as a coordinator for a U.S. Senate campaign in Washington state 10 years ago. I was such a cute little PT Cruiser-driving, naïve recent college graduate back then.


I wore brightly colored button down shirts from Express, wide leg black Banana Republic dress pants, and pointy toed Nine West pumps almost every day. That was my professional uniform until I figured out the whole style at work thing.


I never planned to work on a political campaign. I sort of fell into it.


I had recently completed a communications internship with the Washington State Senate and a few months as a Public Affairs Assistant for the Attorney General’s Office, so I had many contacts in government and politics.


One of my closest friends put me up for a job as a Finance Assistant on a U.S. Senate campaign in Seattle. Even though math has never been my strong suit (hence the career as a writer), I estimated my ability to learn quickly rather highly and convinced the team to hire me. I was only the third or fourth person hired onto the campaign, shortly following the campaign manager and IT guy.


I learned almost immediately that I had no idea how to use Excel. Oops. After a few weeks, I also realized that a “Finance Assistant’s” primary role is to do everything in his or her power to bring in cash money to the campaign.


Despite the knots in my stomach that never seemed to untangle, I became an expert at cold calling for dollars. I helped with target lists for donors and I wrote a bazillion ‘personal’ thank-you letters to those who had coughed up cash on behalf of the candidate. More than 130 letters in a few short months, to be exact. I kept track of those who had maxed out their legal contributions and helped brainstorm on who else might be out there with a big old check just waiting to be written.


When I wasn’t cold calling and feigning gratitude to people I had never met, I was staffing fundraiser upon fundraiser, doing my best to schmooze with people more than three times my age and probably 100 times my income. Some of these fundraisers carried a price tag of $500 per plate. If you wanted a photo op with the keynote speaker, it was $1,000 or more.


As time went on and we entered the actual year of the election, the staff grew exponentially. We were constantly rearranging the office setup to accommodate more people.


We had a ping pong table, which was totally boss. It was a great stress reliever. Sometimes we even had beers in the office after 5:00 pm.


There were a ton of young staffers, all very congenial, while secretly doing everything they could to make themselves look good and their colleagues look like they should not have a job at the end of the campaign. The competition was cutthroat. The uncertainty was ever-present. Even if our candidate did win, who would he hire as his permanent staff? No one knew.


With a hard-negotiated $30,000 salary, I thought I was ballin’ pretty hard. And, in all honesty, I was probably one of the higher-paid staff members at my age and experience level. But when I was asked to buy things like MAC blot powder so the candidate’s head wouldn’t look shiny on camera, I was never reimbursed for the $30 expense. That’s a lot to a 22-year-old working on a political campaign!


Many days felt like marathons, working in the office all day and then staffing fundraisers until after 10:00 pm. Weekend work was normal.


When it became clear that my talents would be better suited on the communications side, rather than in finance, I became the Communications Assistant. My duties: reading and writing issue statements and responses to constituent mail (voters).


I had to respond to every letter with tact and grace, even to the crazy people. Over the course of four months, I wrote over 500 of these letters. I counted.  


Then our second Campaign Manager decided to fire our Volunteer Coordinator. Since he didn’t want to spend the money to hire a replacement, I became the de facto Communications Assistant and Volunteer Coordinator.


I was responsible for liaising with volunteers across the state, but primarily for managing the volunteers who walked into campaign headquarters daily, at their own whim, and wanted something to do.


Many of these volunteers were fantastic and would do anything you asked of them. But others were annoyingly set on not doing any real work. The bulk of the work was stuffing and sealing envelopes. That’s something nobody wanted to do. I couldn’t just magically create tasks that did not exist.


Then there was the time a creepy and weird volunteer asked me if I was pregnant—more than once. No, I was not. Seriously? I never wore that shirt again.


Frequent coffee breaks were taken. Countless Hostess cupcakes were consumed.


I put a non-committal magnetized candidate bumper sticker on my car (brilliant invention!). I genuinely liked and believed in the candidate and wanted him to win the election, but it was hard work.


I even braved a candidate rally in the middle of downtown in a square that typically hosts some pretty hard-core protests. I was terrified that someone might punch me. Thankfully, I survived.


What did I get out of it? Well, the candidate didn’t win, unfortunately. I learned a lot about the nature of work and what a life in politics might be like. I decided it wasn’t for me.


Do you have any experience working in government and politics? What did you think of it?
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NOW GET OUT AND VOTE ON NOVEMBER 8, 2016!!!