And now… the waiting
Hit the polls immediately following my doctor appointment. I would have gone before the appointment, but there was a crazy line, so I went after. Score, no line!
If you haven’t voted yet today, get your butt out there and do it. This is, quite frankly, the most important election I’ve ever been a part of. And, I can say with some pride, that I -have- been a part of it. I’ve volunteered, I’ve knocked on doors, I’ve talked with my neighbors, I’ve had well thought out intelligent conversations with people about what this race means and what is at stake. I have never been so emotionally invested in an election before.
Of course, I’ve never been so stressed out either. And I was joking with my doctor today that maybe what she thinks were TIAs was really just a sign that I’m stressed to the breaking point. She said fat chance, but hey, anything beats my brain simply melting down!
Okay, back to the point… see? Brain, melting.
There have been some very ugly things said throughout this campaign, a lot of lies and distortions, a lot of rhetoric. I have found none of it to be useful, although I have found a lot of it to be so incredibly disheartening that I sometimes wonder why I bother. I’ve seen people called traitors, baby killers, and other choice words I won’t repeat here. When my daughter and I went canvassing, we were screamed at by a woman about 40 million dead babies and how we were just like the “baby killers.” I think the most astounding was a bartender telling us he had been told by a customer that he was a terrorist - because when she asked him who he was voting for, he said Obama.
Last night Cricket’s boyfriend (!!!) came over for dinner and the three of us talked about the race, how they felt, and what the general concensus among their friends was. Cricket has been involved with me during the whole process and has been chatting with her friends about what she would like to see happen, so having this conversation was pretty normal and natural. In fact, that’s been pretty much the main topic in my house for the last month. I’ve been so impressed with the attitudes of kids who aren’t even old enough to vote, who wish they could vote, and who are waiting for the day that they can.
When his mother came to pick him up, she and I chatted a bit about the expected lines, traffic, the normal chatter. She inquired as to whether or not Cricket was available tonight and I explained that we’d be watching the election results. I didn’t mention my particular affiliation, but did say that Cricket and I had done canvassing and that we were pretty excited about the vote. She asked me who I was voting for and why, because she was still undecided and was trying to work her way through the issues.
I was provided with an opportunity to have a discussion about the things that mattered. Without the rhetoric, name calling, and nonsense that I’ve seen going on so much. She had mentioned the rising costs of medical bills at home, so that’s where our conversation turned. I talked to her about Obama’s healthcare plan, and contrasted that with McCain’s. We talked about the economic plans of both parties, and what they meant to us in real life terms. She was open and listening, and I think a big part of that is because I didn’t jump up and down and scream about how evil the other side was. And then she asked me if I really believed him.
I told her that I didn’t just believe in Obama, but I believe in all of us. There are so many of us hungry for a change, willing to do our part in picking this country up and getting it back on track, willing to work together. Standing in a sea of people at a recent rally, I was struck at how incredible it all was. He is bringing people of all walks of life together, for a common goal. And in doing so, he’s managed to help restore my faith in my country. Regardless of the outcome, this nation will be forever changed.
“We are the United States of America. We are a nation that’s faced down war and depression; great challenges and great threats. And at each and every moment, we have risen to meet these challenges - not as Democrats, not as Republicans, but as Americans. With resolve. With confidence. With that fundamental belief that here in America, our destiny is not written for us, but by us. That’s who we are, and that’s the country we need to be right now.”
Yes, we can.