Mishegoss

It is one week until Election Day. I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this effort. It has been incredibly exhausting, but far more heartwarming. Our community is a special place full of extraordinary people who are neighbors in the best sense of the word.

Exactly twenty years ago, I volunteered on my first campaign. After work, I'd go to the campaign office housed in an old blood bank and stuff envelopes until the wee hours of the morning. Every night, until 9 or so, a woman named Ruth would join me. Ruth was in her 80s and her daughter would drop her off and pick her up. Ruth never learned to drive.

One evening Ruth and I were chatting about the campaign, which had gotten a bit nasty. Ruth was the first person to introduce me to the Yiddish word, "mishegoss." It is one of those great words that sounds just like what it is meant to describe. In this case, a bit of foolishness or craziness. As in, "can you believe all this mishegoss about the new zoning code?"

Ruth's funeral was the first time I had ever been in a synagogue and the first time I had heard the phrase, "may her memory be a blessing." This morning, her memory is to me.

Ruth would have gotten a kick out of me getting in over my head on this zoning thing. She would have been annoyed that I didn't put a comma before the "Too" in "We Love Harbor Springs Too." She would have thought Lil' Nubbin's was cute, wondered why everything was pink, and would have been grumpy about what she would rightly called, "mishegoss."

So, it is with a bit of inspiration from a tiny, strong, elderly Jewish mensch that I want to close out this effort this final week.

Here's the message: Vote "No" and we get to move on. Vote "Yes" and we have to start this whole mess over.

Thanks to all of you for your support (And thank you too, Ruth).