JUMP!

By Rachel Michelin

My seven year old daughter is on our local swim team, so many of my summer afternoons are spent by the community pool. The other day the coaches decided to give the kids a “treat” and let them jump off the diving board. Our local pool has a normal diving board, as well as a “high” dive. My daughter had no problems jumping off the lower diving board, but as I watched her stand in line for the high dive I noticed she was letting other kids jump in front of her. I could tell she really wanted to do it, but was scared. I walked over to her and told her she didn’t have to go off the high dive, but she looked at me with that determined look in her eye and said she really wanted to do it. So, being the good mommy I am, I walked back to my chair and waited. She stopped letting kids jump in front of her, climbed up the ladder and after of few moments of hesitation JUMPED! As she got out of the pool her face said it all – a big smile that said “I DID IT!”

It made me think about running for office. How many women are out there waiting “in line” to take the big plunge only to let people, in many cases men, “cut in line ahead of them?” I meet so many women from thought-out the state who tell me they really want to run, but just aren’t ready to take “the plunge.” I relate that to my daughter waiting in line. The thing was at some point she was going to have to make a decision and either go for it or leave, because mommy was not going to sit there all night and eventually the pool would close – she would miss her opportunity – like so many women I meet who struggle with the decision to “take the plunge” and miss their opportunity to run for office.

Like my seven year old, I took the political “plunge” a few years ago. While I did not win, like my daughter, my campaign ended with a big smile on my face and the realization that “I DID IT!” It was a great feeling and one that I hope other women can experience.
Running for office is a lot like jumping off the high dive. From the ground it looks scary – too high, the water will be cold. Then you wait in line, sometimes letting people go ahead of you, until finally you realize it is now or never. Slowly you walk up the ladder, knowing you are getting closer and closer to the end of the board. You walk out and look down; that is your moment. When I filed my papers for the first time it felt like diving off the high dive, but you know what – I loved it! The water was cool and refreshing and the jump exhilarating – so much so that I will jump again!

Come join those who have “taken the plunge” – win or lose I know you will enjoy the ride!