I have a confession to make. I have never picked up the phone and called my senator, congressperson or other representative to ask them to support “xyz legislation.” I have signed petitions, sent emails, printed out and mailed letters, and have even written my own letters and sent them to the newspaper. In college, one of my letters was published in the Wall Street Journal and I was a celebrity for a day on campus. I was a women’s studies major and a politics minor and volunteered for the College Democrats. I’ve stood on street corners and asked people to sign petitions and registered them to vote. I went door to door as a volunteer for a congressional candidate, discussing the issues with people. I write a blog about political issues and engage my friends and families in issues I think they may care about. I volunteer and donate money on a monthly basis to several organizations I believe in but when they send me those emails asking me to call, I DON'T DO IT!

They make it so easy. They send me exactly what to say, who to call and what their number is. I’m quite sure they provide that information because they know people don’t call. Why not? A friend of mine has told me that it’s enormously satisfying to do and very powerful because no one does it anymore. The phone callers of yesteryear are dying off. So are the letter writers. Young people live on the Internet.

I am ashamed. Every time, I put a star next to the email swearing to myself that I’ll do it but there’s always an excuse: not enough time, not enough privacy, not enough belief in the issue, not enough information and my favorite, “I live in California and my representatives are already supporting what I feel strongly about.” The fact is, there is only one reason: I am afraid. I should have these people on speed dial but I am terrified to pick up the phone and call someone I don’t know. Even for mundane tasks like ordering Internet service or getting help from the bank I will procrastinate the phone call for days or even weeks. I even have this terrible habit of returning my friends’ calls with an email. It’s not personal; I just really dislike the phone!

It’s just one of those things, like meditating, that I know I should do but don’t, for whatever reason. I was a nail biter for about 25 years until one day I just stopped. I still occasionally gnaw on my poor thumbnail but I have been able, many times, to look down at my nails and know that I can overcome the seemingly impossible. This too, I can overcome and I know that when I pick up the phone to make that first phone call, I will probably get hooked and do it every time I am asked, maybe more!

If you get those emails, just know that those phone calls make a huge impact and I urge you to do it. You can also get your reps contacts and voting history in a second at Project Vote Smart, an organization run by volunteers who want us to be more informed voters and engaged citizens. No excuses now!

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