The distance from Washington, D.C., to my hometown of York, Pennsylvania, is 100 miles. When I worked as a Congressional staffer in D.C., I could get out of town and be back where I grew up in about an hour and a half, at least so long as I avoided rush hour traffic. Those last miles as I crossed the Pennsylvania-Maryland border brought a sense of gratitude for the relationships I would be keeping up. At my nephew’s soccer game, at an English-style pub with my long-time best friends, with my mother at the breakfast table having a local newspaper in her hands, life was ordinary.
I would return to work in D.C. feeling grounded. I felt better connected to
the people of our Congressional District. Could not every vocation benefit from a similar grounding?
Being able to go home frequently was a blessing for me. Same with my then-boss, Rep. Todd Platts. Todd could almost count on his fingers the number of times that he stayed in D.C. overnight over his 12 years. The fold-up cot in his office went practically unused. He wanted to be back home, grounded in his family and the people he represented. Constituents spoke to him at Little League games or in grocery store lines. He always seemed excited to repeat what he heard from a person randomly encountered.
Of course, going home daily is a privilege few Members of Congress or Senators have. The geographic distance from D.C. to home is too great; many Congressional Districts and states are sprawling rather than compact, making travel by car across the District or state time-consuming. Add the demands of marathon votes in D.C., which are time-consuming.
Despite all this, the non-partisan Congressional Management Foundation found: “When the House of Representatives is out of session and not voting, or when the House has scheduled ‘district/constituent work periods’…most House Members return to their districts to fulfill their representative duties by meeting with constituents and learning how federal policies are affecting them at the local level…Our research showed that 61% to 65% of House District Directors reported that their Member went home to the district more than 40 weekends per year. CMF further found that “staying in touch with constituents” is ranked by Members as being the part of their job “most critical to their effectiveness.”
Everyone should welcome going home. For most vocations, going home means making a home outside of work. Lawyers, doctors, teachers, construction workers, and caregivers. Executives and executive assistants. All can benefit by participating in a church or synagogue, joining family get-togethers, watching those soccer and Little League games, talking to people with another viewpoint. Doing so can help us when we return to serving others through our work. We learn humility and gain perspective that we take with us to the office or factory floor.
We all must face the challenge of staying grounded. The best work often comes from people who never lose touch with the communities they serve. No matter our vocation, we all need people and places that remind us who we are. The farther our work takes us from ordinary life, the more intentionally we must return to it.
Scott Miller is a graduate of Widener School of Law, a former chief of staff in Congress, and the author of 'Christianity & Your Neighbor's Liberty.
