When I planned to vote yesterday, I was initially annoyed because it meant I'd have to drive to work. But when I drove up, sun shining, and saw the signs pointing me into the senior center on Capp St., I immediately became emotional. I walked in to a table of young and old women, anxiously awaiting my arrive. "Name?" one asked, "address?" said another. Beaming, I giggle at the fact that I have never failed to be filled with love and hope when walking into a polling center.
They handed me my ballot and I voted (no on everything except Obama) and ask I turned back to put it into the scanner, I wanted to hug and kiss those women for being there. For realizing how precious this democracy is. Around the country at that very moment, thousands of volunteers just like these are spending their day sitting at fold-out tables handing out democracy, making it so that our voice can be heard.
Throughout the day, my friends recounted similar stories of being unusually giddy when offed the "I voted!" sticker (in English, Spanish and Chinese). I cried all the way to work. It was a particularly beautiful day - we haven't had much sun lately - and I saw three snow white egrets in the bright green grass between the two directions of the 280 freeway. They are awkwardly beautiful creatures and they reminded me of our democracy. Voting is a bastion of beauty and purity in the cross traffic of politics, proof that these things endure. Go Obama!
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