Shelton-Mason County Journal - Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886

I worked for a state representative at the Capitol in Olympia for three months during the 1988 legislative session.

I sat at a desk, behind a plastic rectangle that displayed my name. I smiled when strangers came to the desk, and when those strangers left, I’d say, “Nice to meet you.” I drank coffee from my coffee cup. I wrote and typed letters, answered the phone, made copies, kept my desk orderly, minded the representative’s daily schedule and directed visitors to the bathroom.

I did not like that job, despite having a plastic name display, but I did meet Mrs. Ericson there. It’...