Coffee, Civics and Confessions

My day started this morning at 4:30 AM when I woke to the sound of falling rain. Normally I would roll over and go back to bed, but I got up for two reasons. I had a load of laundry to move to the dryer, and I already wanted to be up by 5 AM so I could head to the polls early and cast my vote for change. News reports from early voting this weekend included huge lines, and while I'm blessed to work for a company that allows me the flexibility to work from home so I could have time to vote today, I am not by nature a very patient person, so I wasn't looking forward to standing in line for 3 hours to exercise my civic duty. Especially in the rain.

So after I got the laundry tackled, I hopped in the shower, found my rain gear, and ventured out to Starbucks, where I start at least 340 of my 365 mornings a year. If I'm going to stand in line, I need coffee.



I arrived at my voting location at 6 AM, and thankfully found only 4 other people as motivated as me to get up that early. The poll workers were enthusiastic and funny, and we all chatted cordially while they were getting set up. Some of the folks were voting for the first time and couldn't figure out which line to be in, so the trainer in me kicked in and I did my best to help out. One young woman standing in front of me in line was one of the first timers, and she grinned from ear to ear as I helped her through the process.

I felt joy and guilt at the same time. She probably looked at me thinking I was a motivated citizen, an expert in civic affairs. In fact, this election is the first one I've bothered to vote in for 8 years. Yep...the woes of the past 2 terms of this president are partly my fault. Me and all the other apathetic people like me that don't always take their role seriously.

So how did it happen? Did I stop caring? Do I not have a heart, any opinions? None of the above. Like a lot of people, I made excuses. I had just moved to CA. I was trying madly to climb the ladder of success, and the only future that mattered to me was one involving a promotion. Besides, what difference can one person make? You know the drill. Sad but true, I was one of "those people." Especially sad since my father fought in a war (WWII) to ensure the freedoms and democracy I take for granted too often.

It's sad that it took a crisis of our country's latest proportions to wake me from my apathy coma. But now that I'm awake, I'm committed that the change doesn't stop here. We all matter, and we all need to be part of the solution. So last night I researched every candidate and ballot measure so I could make my vote count. This election is historic because of the Presidential candidates, but it's also the start of my new civic history. I'll never miss another election again.



So if you haven't already, get out and vote!! And stop by Starbucks for your free tall coffee...