If television’s to be believed, this basically means bandaging the paws of puppies for hours.

But maybe you’re allergic to puppies.

Turns out, there are thousands of different ways to get involved in your community. Yes, some of these involve animal shelters, but then you have things like  Forward Montana.

They register young people to vote, train new leaders (such as myself) and encourage young adults to get politically involved.

Does it sound like the most insanely boring thing on earth?

It’s not. It’s absolutely the most fun I have ever had working without pay.

No, really.

As a child, the only things I knew of politics were the shadow of George W. Bush and the tedium of The West Wing. Today I find myself excited about an internship at an organization specializing in political activism. Confusing, right?

Not quite as confusing as my first day,  though. After trekking to downtown and wandering through a florescent-lit maze for a few minutes, I poked my head into the Forward MT offices.

“Hello?”

“Hey! There she is!”

The she was me and within ten minutes I had a task assigned. But my confusion still lingered.

“We need you—are you ready for this? We need you…to make posters,” said The Blond One.

Maybe I looked confused or simply scared, because The Boy One chimed in,

“Yeah, Health Challenge posters. It’s this thing we’re doing. In the office. To see which one of us is healthiest in June. Hint: it’s me.”

“Yeah, that…that won’t be me,” said the one with the gimpy shoulder.

Posters! That’s something I’d done before, lots! This was something I could do, without question.

Armed with Crayolas and poster board, I began. Then it occurred to me.

“Hey, The Boy One?”

“Yes, Intern?”

“How does this relate to politics?”

“Uh…”

Were these people really part of a political organization? If so, why were they laughing and making merry?And whywas I playing with markers?

Maybe this was a test. A hazing process. Maybe my marker selection said something about my political alignment. I put my faith in their system and made some art.

Then a few funny things happened. The first came mid-poster. There I was, embellishing a drawing of a narwhal, when I re

And when I presented my creations for the amusement of my superiors, I realized I felt kinda, almost…accepted and liked. Anyone who’s survived high school knows that, during the teen years, this feeling can be as elusive as a leprechaun giving Merry Poppins a piggyback ride. Its presence in the real world, was refreshing, not to mention a great ego boost. All over a few posters.

Of course, a trickier assignments was handed down—“Design thank you cards that are both quirky and original but also appeal to a broad range of people while being cost-effective. Now.”—but the feeling of being appreciated didn’t disappear.

I think that says a lot.

I think any group of people who can meet a 16 year old girl and immediately make her feel ten times more useful to society than she did before—any organization that can do that—has got some serious mojo working for it.

And that was just the first day. I’ve never been this excited to work, for hours, without pay, in a windowless, beige box…where was I? Well anyway, I’m jazzed to be here.

So if you ever find yourself lying in bed, completely incapable of purposeful movement, if you find yourself listless and bored with life, I have but one suggestion: get yourself involved with Forward MT. The driftwood carving industry is tanking anyway.