I hate stripes. And orange ain’t my color. ~Brandy Clark

Don’t worry. I’ll not be in either. I merely attended my very first commission meeting on behalf of the library. We were the gracious recipients of one million dollars for the Seymour building fund. Things like that get me out of the house (or a clogging lesson, as the case may be). So, rest assured, if you want to bequeath me a lump sum, I shall be honored to accept it in person.

I had never attended one of these meetings and wasn’t sure what to expect. Once Charlie let me through the security scan (which I set off, even after leaving Annie in Maggie. At least they didn’t strip search me, although he threatened to then waved me through), I saw lots of familiar faces. That’s nothing unusual 😉 It was pretty much a packed house. The GP girls basketball team was there to receive their proclamation, and about 40 notaries. I think I was technically supposed to go through some sort of swearing in process when I came on the board of trustees for the library, but somehow managed to coast right on in. It’s a good thing, ’cause y’all know how bad I blush.

We led with a moment of silence on behalf of Robert Delius, one of the commissioner’s relatives. I knew him through the Co-Op to be a kind man. And he had the patience of a saint. I couldn’t have worked for his employer for one day.

This was followed by the Lord’s Prayer, which I appreciated. Finally, the mayor led us in reciting the Pledge of Allegence. I haven’t said it since I graduated high school, and a wave of nostalgia washed over me. I’m proud to report I did not cry. Will the wonders never cease?

Then the action commenced.

I’ve never seen anything like it, outside of an auction. This bunch don’t mess around. They’ve got it figured out, and people everywhere could take a lesson in efficiency from them. It appears that all the kinks are worked out beforehand, which was fine by me. They had a copy of the agenda, and the current voting issues were on one screen while the list of commissioners was displayed on another, showing as they voted and locked in. I feel like our little county is pretty highfalutin’ in the grand scheme of things.

So they breezed right on through everything, the ten million dollars got no more attention than the rezoning of some subdivision properties. Fantastic. Suits me right down to the ground.

My excitement was over, but the real twists were upon us. Now it was time for public comments that were not on the agenda.

There were two spokespeople for…well, I’m not sure if either or both were for the Humane Society or for Pets Without Parents. One thing for sure, they were for the creatures without a voice. I may not agree with everything they said, but I give them credit for showing up and speaking up, unlike the thousands on Facebook just spewing venom but not taking any action to change policies. It takes guts to go to a public forum, speak in front of all our elected officials, look the audience in the eye, watch the three allocated minutes count down, and not stutter. They made their presentations, handed over their petitions, thanked everybody for the opportunity to speak, and sat back down. That is courageous. They had a handful of like-minded citizens there to back them, but there were no ugly comments or sideways looks.

The meeting ajourned quickly after. Lickety-split, like everything else.

I shook and howdied with almost everybody I knew afterwards, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I encourage you to go to the next one in your part of the country. It’s your right. And I guarantee you’ll learn something. Everyone will be glad to see you, out supporting your community. Because if you don’t, who will? Don’t let others be your voice for something you believe in. Go. Be present.