ballots and bubbles. my wish for positivity at the polls.

i really don't like politics.  ugh.  not any of it.  

and today was the day.  the day when, thank goodness, everyone got to stop fussin and fightin and go cast their vote.

at least that's what i thought was going to happen.

i spent over 2 hours in line, it really wasn't bad, and it was actually not as long as i had anticipated.  i enjoyed people watching, sipping my latte, and talking with whomever felt like talking.  i enjoyed being there and didn't even think about how long it was taking.

sadly, i was surrounded by people who were ...you guessed it ... still fussin and fightin:
"oh great, how long do you think it's gonna take this line to move?"
"i am not waiting in this line, this is ridiculous"
"oh my god, how long have you been here?"
"i still have to go to work, this is nuts"
"what is taking so long?"
"they should be more organized ...why don't they have better signs about which line to be in?"

i could go on and on.  i thought at one point, many of these people wait much longer in line for a concert or to get a good deal on a television or a video game on black friday.  but they are "inconvenienced" by waiting in line for the right to vote?

people serve this country and fight for this right that we are standing in line for.  some of them have lost their lives, lost their loved ones, or are unable to be here on this day to participate; do you think they would be complaining that there is a wait ... which is actually a good thing because it means that so many people care enough to be here?  do you think any of them would complain and appreciate the lack of gratitude when they have put or continue to put their lives on the line?

then there were the people complaining about what they would do if they were president.  or what they think "should be."  or what is wrong with this voting process at this location.  or the process at another nearby location that they heard about from a neighbor's cousin's friend on facebook.

i honestly don't care about any of those things that people were grumbling about.  nor did i want to carry around the negativity that hung in the air with those words.  i don't even have a problem with people who didn't vote.   because there were the people too, believing they were right to scold or bully anyone else into voting in the first place.  shaming anyone who didn't vote.  i thought it was a free country.  i thought it was our choice.  if someone chooses not to, aren't they free to make that decision? hmmm.

you know what else i think?
i think the next time i go to vote, i am going to bring a coloring book, crayons, and a small bottle of bubbles.  i hope i remember.  for the weary mom in line with 3 children and a stroller, doing her best to keep all of their spirits up when clearly the children have all reached their point of meltdown after being there for hours and really are trying their best to behave and be patient as their mom is begging them to do.  i applaud them.  not one of them complained about anything but their tiny feet hurting or wanting to sit down or dropping their sippy cup.  all legitimate and innocent when you're under the age of 4, and to be honest i think the baby had a heavy diaper by the time mom was on deck.

i think sitting on the floor at eye level with them and blowing a few little bubbles together would have made a huge difference in their day, and might have even reminded some of the other voters there to stop thinking about themselves ... that those little lives are the future.  and the future is in our hands.  and standing in line for a couple of hours being grateful and setting a good example, instead of complaining, is the very least that we can do.

always a moving experience for me:
  men. women.  all ages.  different cultural backgrounds.  walking.  not walking.  all voting. one nation.

                                 

"My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it". 
- Clarence Budington Kelland