So today we attended the ceremonial signing of the Oklahoma Pulse Ox Bill at the Capitol with Gov. Mary Fallin. It was a long, good day that I will remember until I am so very old that the only memories I care to keep are of my grandkids. But as I wind down for the night, I would like to share a few thoughts and reflections.
First, yes, this was just ceremonial. The real bill was signed quietly one night some time back. This was the show for the legislators and advocates. So, much pomp and circumstance. Not the first time I've been to one of these or seen the process. I was a page and I've been in State Government for 15 years. Been there, always felt it was a lot of work and waiting for little reward.
But I've never been on this side of things. It was... cathartic. I really get why we do these now and more greatly appreciate the hard work that is put in by those who work so hard to make it happen. Including my friend Ashton Mese who was there today, facilitating. It may not have seemed like a big deal to her and the other staffers. Though they would never say it, I am sure they all had a long list of projects waiting their attention that they would rather have been tackling, and I don't blame them. But I can now say, absolutely, this process matters.
To this group of parents, some grieving for the obstacles that sit before their children, others grieving because our children are now beyond the reach of Earthly obstacles, it mattered. It mattered so very much.
Second, I don't want to get into politics with this. Though in a spirit of full disclosure, I did vote for Mary Fallin and susbect I will again if I get the chance. Now regardless of that,...
I was deeply impressed by our Oklahoma Governor. This part of her job would have driven me crazy.
So she sits at a desk with the bill while a group of people associated with that bill gather behind her. You all pose for a picture. She signs the bill and passes out a few pens. Then, inevitably, people try to talk to her about this and that and pose for individual pictures. There is a general rumble and chaos about it, managed chaos thought it may be, that would have me losing my mind. So many people with so many overlapping conversations. Names to remember, topics to stay focused on. We were the 11th bill of the day, really of the hour, and this was the second day, with so many more to come.
And yet, while we posed, as my son stood by her right side she talked to him like any mom or grandmother would, trying to make him comfortable. When we took our opportunity to pose with her (me my wife my eldest son and a photo of our youngest son), she spoke to me and expressed her sorrow for our loss. We hadn't explained, though the topic of the bill and the photo of the grinning boy with a scar on his chest are pretty big clues. Still, she volunteered her feelings and her voice... it didn't exactly break, but it hurt. She wasn't in that moment a politician. She was a mother. And she got it.
Take that for what you will. I was impressed by her in that moment.
This is also the first time I've spoke to a Gov. or Lt Gov. and NOT insulted them somehow, intentional or accidental. It is sort of a streak I had going all the way back to '93. Kinda my thing. It is a good time to let that end.
The third and final thought is how much the Capitol is like Walmart in that I always seem to run into all these people that I know. I already mentioned Ashton who traveled with me to Uganda, now a staffer for the Gov. Fallin.
I also saw our prodigal intern Samantha Smith who is taking a break from the show to work for Farm Bureau this summer.
And, of course, we looked up our dear friend Dawn Marks who is a fancy-pants big shot doing research for the OK House now, but I've known her since she was a fellow nerd-dorm resident at OSU. Dawn is one of the most intelligent and unassuming people I've ever known and it is always a joy to see her.
Then I ran into Rep. Don Armes, OK-63 (R). I'd interviewed him before for the show. He is well known and respected around campus as a man with an ag background. Took me a minute to place him as we waited for the same elevator. Introduced myself. he watches the show. That felt good.
Anyhow, we had a nice, short conversation in the 1 floor elevator ride (I had a pregnant lady in tow, afterall). Anyhow, he strikes me as a genuine and nice man and should get his props as well.
Plus, I thought about how completely my former boss would have freaked out at me being in the capitol talking to an elected leader, influencial in ag circles, without his supervision... He panicked about so much that didn't need to be panicked over... That made me smile too.
