lactavist in the making

so today's entry is a little bit different than my usual postings, but relevant to this suburban momma. on saturday i am scheduled to attend the PGA championship in michigan. i bought these tickets for my hubby for valentine's day. we arranged childcare with scott's mom and have been looking forward to it for months.

last week, we started thinking through the logistics. at this time, it dawned on me that over the course of the day, i will need to pump several times. no problem, thought i, i'll just bring my handy pump with a battery pack. another option, i'll plug my handy pump into my car lighter. a few quick trips to the car throughout the day and i'd be good to go. my hubby, being the detail oriented man that he can be, decided to look at the PGA policy page to make sure one of these options would work. well, neither does. there is a no re admittance policy and a no electronic device policy. we were left scratching our heads. could it be possible that i just can't go????

scott took matters into his own hands and emailed the contact people for the tournament. he was kind, he was concise spelling out the issue and he even proposed some really easy solutions. after a few days passed, we heard back. the official standpoint from the PGA was "sorry charlie". you can come, you can't leave and return after pumping in your car, and oh, by the way, please don't bring your pump because it isn't allowed. again, hmmm???

i have never been an activist for anything. i have never participated in a sit-in or a march, i've never written a letter on behalf of a policy i disagreed with, but this just didn't sit right in my little mind. it stirred something in me. i called detroit chanel 4 news. they were very interested. they wanted to do an interview right away. before agreeing to this, i decided to give the PGA one last chance to make it right.

a quick call to headquarters, an explanation of my situation, an explanation of possible solutions and a quick (but very kind) mention of chanel 4 news, and voila. the head of the tournament called me back immediately and said that there would be no problem. she apologized for her earlier "NO" and said that they would be happy to accommodate my need. she reassured me that the gate attendant would admit me and that i can leave my pump at the first-aid station. when necessary, i can report to my pump, pump away and then go on about my day at my leisure.

will that prove to be the case, i don't know. it's too soon to tell. but i am hopeful. i never raised my voice, i was calm and polite throughout, and i prayed a lot (because i really did want to yell and pound my fists).

it all made me think. are we so rigid and focused on our task at hand to see past humanity? is it possible that we don't see the needs of those around us because we are so busy with everything else? people are unique. so are their situations. are we willing to "bend the rules" to be kind, fair and inclusive?

chanel 4 is holding out hope that the PGA denies me access. they were a little bummed when they found out i didn't need their camera crew after all. i've been told that i should call them immediately if i am denied admittance on the day of. but as for me, i'm glad to see that the PGA decided to make it right. i hope they stick to their end of the bargain. but if not, this lactavist is not going to take it lying down:) i'll keep you posted.