HOW DID I GET HERE:  Forget the Bootstraps! 

It's the seventh week now since I file for Democratic candidate for State House in Montana.  The fear that has been with me from the beginning is mostly dissipating.  Passing time helps.  It's also true that, in sharing my candidacy with different community groups of which I'm a member, I'm gaining more confidence.  Reactions seem to range from some acceptance to utter surprise to ho-hum.  If anything can clarify my importance within the community, it's the "ho-hum, big-deal".  It tends to keep me in touch with reality.

At the same time, I realize I'm also looking for affirmation.  Is there anyone out there (within my small community) who thinks that what I'm doing is a great idea?  When I share my down-in-the-dumps feeling with a local friend through email, she writes back, "I would vote for you.  I know you would do the required research."  But mostly with those I interact, my candidacy just pointedly does not come up in our conversations.

Leila, a friend from Billings, tries to explain the culture of this area, and Montana in general.  She is born here, has lived for some years in California, but is back again in retirement.  "People here," she says, "are expected to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.  It's when a disaster takes place that neighbors come together to provide support."

Take, for example, Roundup's latest flood.  This spring word gets out early as to possible flooding along the Musselshell River.  Spring thaws upriver cause water to rise and begin to move downstream.  Homes and businesses in low-lying areas prepare by moving equipment to higher ground.  Community meetings led by the Department of Emergency Services are held regularly at St. Benedict Catholic Church.  Reports are made on where the problems are, what is expected to happen with the fast-running water, and where help is needed.  Beds and food are available for anyone who needs them.  Even before the flood of 2011 and the fires of 2012, the community has been developing a program and process that jumps into action when disaster warnings come.

Other factors impact culture in the western states, however.  The Billings Gazette, Nov. 25, 2012, reports that Montana "has been near the top in the nation in the rate of suicide for 35 years...The victims are military veterans, American Indians, senior citizens, and teenagers."

Suicides in Montana seem to come from not only a "cowboy culture" (pull yourself up by your own bootstraps), but also from the following:

1. Montana is a gun state.  It is third in the nation for per capita gun possession.  "People who live in areas with high concentrations of guns are more likely to die by suicide."
2. Social isolation that comes with living in Montana.  If there is a network of social support, there is a lower incidence of suicide.
3. Widespread use of drugs
4. A shortage of mental health professionals in the state

Feeling down-in-the-dumps?  Insecure?  Forget pulling yourself up by the bootstraps!  Reach out to others.  That's good advice for anyone but particularly if you live in Montana (specifically western Montana and pockets in the east where suicide rates are highest).  It can make the difference between life and death.

(Billings Gazette, "High-Country Crisis:  Montana's suicide rate leads the nation," Nov. 25, 2012)