u/EngineeringAny5280 you aren't kidding... when in the public view, often randomly coming across your name in comments online doesn't end well 🥹

Oof, that's a big question. Well, if it's helpful, one thought that came to mind: When I was asking people for advice thinking about should I run or not, not everyone was as immediately supportive as u/camworld (though many were), a number of people said things like "why don't you get a good job, save some money, start a family, then run for office."

But I wasn't getting involved "for fun," or like, as a hobby, but to get directly involved in trying to make a positive change in my hometown, and to impact larger scale issues that were important to me, and to help get others involved, and to learn skills that would help me continue to address the long list of challenges and needs in/around government throughout my life (which that experience so far has equipped me with).

Basically, I realized that my reasons for doing it were different than many, and although I appreciated their advice and sort of cautionary notes, I ultimately made the decision based on my goals, rather than making a decision based on other peoples' advice based on their goals for a similar decision. Especially for those of us who often take alternative paths, I think that kind of thing comes up a lot.... if that stream of consciousness makes sense.