Census Reeling

It came in the afternoon mail about ten days ago and I stacked it on the sort-of coffee table we have in what my wife continues to call "The Mancave" but I usually think of as The Treehouse, the room in our home I now spend a lot of time in that was our daughter's before she spread her wings and flew away last year. 

I only gave the envelope a cursory glance when it first arrived and in all honesty, I thought it was from the auto club, looking for renewal on our membership (I already have a lifetime membership but I can never remember if it's mine or the car's). 

Once I realized it wasn't the auto club, I guessed it was possibly a solicitation from Usury International Bank trying to tempt me with a "low, low introductory APR and no annual fee," to sign up for a credit card whose actual interest rate is such that at the minimum monthly payment level, I'd need to believe in reincarnation to ever lower the balance.

But It wasn't either of those things, funnily enough. And shame on me, I should have known better, but true to form, didn't.  After all the months of screaming and yelling on the THNs (Talking Heads Networks) and headlines in every publication from the New York Times to Highlights, and the threats of legal action over the wording of questions it was (only) the 2020 Census. 

Imagine my relief after opening it to realize there were no math questions of any kind (I hate those word problems involving two trains traveling in different directions and at different speeds) and NO tricky essay questions, like 'if you were a cloud what kind of cloud would you be?' 

The above was my attempt at being funny. And yes, I'm painfully aware that if I hadn't told you there is an excellent chance you would have never guessed. I actually specialize in Zen Stand-up Humor which emphasizes the importance of one hand clapping (which is about as good as I ever get). 

But speaking of importance, in terms of the impact both on our own lives and on those of our communities throughout the United States, the census is just about the most important thing any of us will ever fill out, not just during this self-quarantine period (though that did give me the quiet time I needed to think about how important this really is). By now, you've probably already gotten your invitation, too. 

You can respond via mail, online or by phone (this page has a listing of all the languages and all the phone numbers). It took me less than ten minutes online to fill out the form and I type with one finger (you can guess which one) so you'll probably set a land speed record.

There's a raft of really excellent reasons why each of us should complete our census form, and on their website, the Census Bureau does a great job of listing the most important ones, You can check them out for yourself here, but if you're a fan of schools, hospitals, highways, national parks, or congressional representation (among other things), I don't have to tell you our answers help create our future. 

At this moment, when circumstances may be leading us to feel and be more isolated than we've been in a long time, something as simple as filling out a census questionnaire can help us remember that we are as united as we have ever been, despite our present, but temporary, circumstances and that everyone counts.
-bill kenny