Inch by inch, door by door

I'm packed, and ready to go. Except, today, the weather gods have conspired against me.
At this point in the election campaign, I start my day (after coffee and the crossword, of course) by loading my blue satchel with Paul Knowles for Mayor brochures, some buttons (same theme, surprisingly enough), a bottle of water, and some note paper and a pen.
And then I am off to go door to door, meeting the residents of Wilmot township. This was the plan this morning, too... except torrential rains and some thunderstorms have put a bit of a cramp in the schedule. It's supposed to get nicer, though, so I should be able to hit the streets later in the day.
This door to door campaigning is very interesting. A bit unnerving, too ­-- after all, each new door is an adventure, and you never know what you are going to encounter.
I have found everything from a refusal to meet me ("I don't open my door to solicitors") to warm welcomes from both friends and strangers ("Come in and sit down. Tell us about the election.")
Mostly, when people are home, they are very cordial, and often downright friendly. Most are aware of the election, and I will not be surprised if this time, we see a much higher turnout than we have in recent decades (where in Wilmot we were lucky to have a quarter of eligible voters cast their ballots).
I have already learned about a number of local issues ­-- and I will be writing a more 'official' news release about these issues, and posting it on paulknowles.ca.
But to be more informal, in this space: here are some of my favourite moments, so far, in the door to door quest for votes:
* A man who refused my brochure, but then explained, "I don't need your brochure. You have our votes, so please use that material to convince someone else to support you. Good luck!"
* Three folks on the same street who greeted me with, "I was just reading about your wife!" -- Nancy was featured in Most magazine, because of the Kitchener-Waterloo Arts Award we won for New Hamburg Live.
* Two people who saw my vague profile through frosted glass ­ beard and belly most obvious, I suppose (I gotta stop standing in profile!), and assumed I was one of my similarly portly competitors.
* A friend who opened the door on one of the hottest afternoons, recognized that I was nearing the end of heat tolerance, and said, "Will you please go home before you kill yourself?"
* A series of women on one street who said, one after another, "You have my vote, because my neighbour has been singing your praises." Yo have to love neighbours like
that.
* Several voters who appear to support me after we discussed, not issues, but gardens. Which seems eminently sensible to me!
In the course of campaigning, I have been invited to meet lovely little dogs including a beagle named Molly (I accepted), to assist one friend in painting his foyer (I declined), and to give a hug to a long-time acquaintance who now lives in a seniors' apartment (I accepted).
I have also realized, as I attend larger events, that political campaigning involves a lot of eating, most of it excellent if not entirely fat-free. Pork chops, corn on the cob, sausages, hot dogs, ice cream, pie... all of which helps to explain why at least two of the candidates look like this. Or, at least, will continue to look like this for the foreseeable future. Maybe the multiple kilometers we will walk will counteract this, but I doubt it.
All in all, although it takes a bit of self-induced oomph to knock on that first door, each time, I am genuinely enjoying the process. And the good news is, there are only several thousand more doors to go.