Apparently, I am a fighter.

 I don't really think of myself as a fighter. I THINK of myself as more of a peacemaker.
But, maybe I am not.
I fought with Bank of America for 2 YEARS...yes, 2 YEARS to get our house payment lowered and into a plan that they said we qualified for...then continually kicked us out of. It was only after enlisting the help of my local congresswoman's office that Bank of America finally completed the deal. Given my piles and piles of documentation...I can't even imagine how many people lost their homes due to bank errors and screw-ups.... People who apparently weren't as determined to just accept the answers given and the status quo.

Heaven knows I have fought with more than one renter. Talk about a losing battle. The court systems, the legal system....the sheer ridiculousness of it all. Still makes me sick to my stomach...but I fought...and won in most cases. Although...my winnings were really no victory.

And now....

After many back and forth calls and emails...suffice it to say that Kenzie has a new bus stop. Or, rather, the old bus stop is back in front of our house. Although I didn't have to actually use it, I did videotape the bus several days in a row...as it stopped at 4 separate stops on the end of the street (they told me it only stopped once on our street.) At two of the stops, no one even came out. Turns out, the kids that live there go to private schools, yet the public schools have to provide their transportation or pay the parents a stipend. Go figure.
I also videotaped one day when it was so foggy I could only see about 3 houses down the street...and Kenzie's stop was 9 houses down. Again, my issue wasn't so much that she had to walk down the street (.20 miles according to my Garmin. Yes, I am that insane...I did clock it.) My issue was having two kids leave at the same time...from opposite ends of the street. How could I be in both places? And which child should I leave standing alone?
But really, the issue was...since the bus legally stops in front of my house anyway...why in the world couldn't they open the door and let my kids on?
Since they couldn't/wouldn't give me a reason that made sense (like..."we only have one stop on that street," or "we stop within 2-3 houses of each kindergartner or first grader's house") I pushed the issue.
Finally, after the Director of Business Services took a tour around town...and saw what I was talking about....
Kenzie now gets picked up and dropped off at the end of our driveway.
Now, if only the bus ride didn't take 1.5 hours.....

As for how I feel about being a "fighter"....I'm really not sure. I feel like I don't just fight to fight...all good causes...but it is exhausting. Somehow, however, I'm afraid that it will become increasingly important in the years ahead for me to be willing to "fight" for what I believe is right.

I hope I'm up to the challenge.