“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.”

— Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

We did something wonderful tonight. We were telemarketers.

My daughter and I participated in a call-a-thon to help raise awareness for our local school levy. Not exactly telemarketing, but asking people to vote to raise their taxes in a down economy sure felt like we were selling.

Tessa sat next to me and together we made calls. There were cranky folks, and kindly folks. There were polite folks and rude folks. There were enthusiastic folks and folks who could not be bothered.

There were rude stories. “You should be home studying, not out doing this political stuff.” 

There were funny stories. “I got rid of my internet because it was ruining my blood pressure.”

There were games. The person who gets the most yes calls wins.

All told, my daughter and I reached about 33 people between us who said yes. A smaller percentage was either undecided or said no outright.

On the drive home, we talked about the difficulty of dealing with a cranky person and how most people were patient and courteous, even if they did not support our cause.

Yes, we were telemarketers. And maybe we did not build wonderful, world-changing products like Steve Jobs. But we might have gotten a few votes and a few dollars for her school.

My daughter and I did something wonderful tonight. We got involved.

Volunteered on the phone bank for my children’s school. Also got up early in the dark and rode my with my son on ‘bike to school day’. It was the best 10 mile bike ride I have been involved in.