So.. to begin again... What on earth am I truly thinking? I can not tell you how many times that I have asked myself this past week. I am just as I am.. I have worked from a baby-sitting job, to retail, to the health field, to my last job at Domino's as a General Manager, here in Westminster. I honestly haven't done anything, "Out of the park," per say.. so what in the world am I truly thinking?
Look guys, I'm not saying that I am a nobody.. because that isn't at all what I would say about myself or anyone else for that matter. Everyone is a someone.. we are all humans that have strengths and weaknesses.. and we all start off as little babies. Going from childhood into a teenager and young adult and even old adults.. having dreams of what we would like to do, what we want to be when we "grow up," how we want to change the world.. etc. From dreaming of a big wedding, to a white picket fence, being wealthy.. etc.. or maybe from my standpoint I should be saying that is what I dreamed about.. but then reality of true life comes into play.. and many of us have to work hard for everything we have in our lives and nothing is handed easy.
I absolutely live my life in what I tell others.. live your life without regrets.. we can't do anything about regrets.. we can grow from our mistakes, surround ourselves with people that we love and care about.. we can be active in our communities.. and we always, no matter what happens in our life.. we always, always have to make the most out of what is happening in our lives..
And honestly, we can't look at everyone or even one person wondering why they aren't doing this or that.. because you know we aren't that person and therefore, because we aren't that person.. we don't know what they are thinking.. how they are feeling.. what they are going through in their own lives.. and we just have to realize that because of these reasons NOT to take it in so personally.. **Example ever walk into a store and the clerk is just rude that day and you are like what is their problem? Yet, again you decided to give that store another try and the same clerk a week later was laughing and chatting up a storm with you???** See you never know what was going on the week before and if we take each and every action personally then how many would you actually have in your life that you have come to love and adore?
I honestly did not know what my life had in store for me when I finally resigned from Domino's. Was moving forward back into the health field.. I just know me and most of you that know me.. know that I have to be doing something... I love to stay busy and I love to be out and about with people and then at the end of the day come home to my family and have myself stay at home.. I love being at home, relaxing, playing with my grandchildren.. and listening as each one of my grown children get home and tell my husband and I about their day and what in all they had encountered that day. I am truly a blessed person to have the relationships that I have with my 3 youngest.
I can not even begin to tell you how many times that my husband and I or my children and I have talked about Westminster. My husband and I travel a few times a year to go visit family in Florida and there has been trips (mind you about 8.5 hrs) of just talking about what we would like to see.. what we would like to happen.. how we would like to see this or that here and this or that there in our hometown of Westminster.
We compare Westminster to the year of 1992 when he and I got married (in Seneca), to when I had my girls in Oconee in the year of 1992 and 1995.. to when my brother, Sgt. Tony B. Olaes, that was killed in Afghanistan (from Westminster) in 2004, to today (2019)... and you know as much as I do.. all we have to do as citizens of Westminster is go outside and look down the streets and know that not much has changed.. and what I can see from my standpoint.. in fact, the ONLY thing that has changed in Westminster is that it has steadily gone down hill. Into what is commonly known now and is called, "A Ghost Town."
Truth of the matter is this guys... I am very ignorant on all the ins and the outs of everything here.. And for me to say okay, I am going to go for City Council, just happened to be a natural response when my husband had mentioned it.. and politics.. me??? (I know some of you are laughing at this)...
But look here is the thing.. as a commoner I can tell that there is something wrong.. definitely wrong.. and that there has to be changes before the City of Westminster is no longer.. it can only continue to be run into the ground for so long until eventually people continue to move out and no one comes to moves in. I can see the surrounding cities and see that they are leaving us behind in the dirt.
I also know that there is big issues, like the electricity (I live here I know about the $500 + electric bills a month).. and the sewer. I also know that we have dial up still existing in some places (maybe not in city limits, but yes people from what I understand it still does exist).. And honestly because of this huge issues that are happening.. let me state from my standpoint..
THERE ARE NO EASY OR OVER NIGHT FIXES!
The City didn't get to where it is today over night and it surely isn't going to happen over night in fixing these major issues and truly finding out what is going on and letting everyone in the City know what is going on.. Don't we all have that right to know and understand why and where and how this is going on and why and where and how this has been allowed to continue?
With this being said however, this I can tell you.. there are things that we together can do to start making that difference. And in order for us to begin to start to make the difference we are going to have to gather together, hand in hand.. and say no we won't tolerate this anymore.. yes we will get out here and help our neighbors.. There are things today that we can start to do to improve our town..
This is Why I decided to stand up.. why I am actually running. It isn't that I care to even have my name out there and about or my picture plastered everywhere... I know people will get out here and try to find the negative in everything that is going on.. or talk badly about this one or that one.. but in reality isn't that what most politicians do?
I don't want to be that.. I just want to be a politician that is standing up and saying enough is enough.. I want to be a voice for those that have been beaten down and beaten down, threatened, or even have given up on Westminster because they are tired of fighting.. I want to be a voice for my grandchildren and the future generations.. and I want to be able to start to say that I am proud of my city and be excited about when one comes and visits me that we can show them around instead of taking them always outside the city limits.
I don't want to be that one that continues to sit on my couch and whine about how my city is dying.. I want to help get our community together, to find each and everyone's talents that we all have and bring it to the forefront of our city, to build our city up into a hell of a place to live. The city hasn't beaten me down and because I believe.. I have a dream of what it could become.. of what it really is just hidden because we have all been smothered so long in thinking that this city will continue to die..
City Council???? Seriously... YES!!!! Because I have a voice and I want to scream it from the rooftops.. not only my hopes and dreams of what this place could become.. but, also YOUR voice.. because in the end.. just like a business.. without the team, there would be no manager.. it is the same here.. without us citizens of Westminster.. there would be NO WESTMINSTER.
**Just saying.. keeping it honest and real as I have promised when I first began this blog**