...and no, this is not a post about the results of the election. I said that I would rarely, if ever, debate or discuss my political leanings in this forum. (Go find me on Facebook for that!).
I am a proud American who demonstrated her pride by voting. And today, in record numbers, across lines of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and nation of origin, so very many of my fellow Americans demonstrated that same pride. While we may not agree on right versus left, red versus blue, or the CU-Buffs versus the CSU-Rams, our ballots, be they paper, electronic, absentee, early, mail-in, write-in, fill-in-the-blank-in, whatever, have been taken. Counted. Heard. Together.
Starbucks, where I hold a second job, today offered a free cup of coffee to anyone who voted. Two days ago I was frustrated because of an off-the-cuff comment about bothering to vote. But today I poured out free coffee & heard stories from young first-time voters, naturalized citizens who voted, cops & dog-walkers & teachers & musicians who voted. A girl I worked with drove to Indiana this morning to vote in her home state, then made it back to Addison Street in time to pour out free coffee next to me. I learned about an old woman who voted for the first time in her life because she finally, blessedly, felt like her voice might matter. I will always be irritated by the "why bother?" crowd, but today my green apron job afforded me the opportunity to recognize the greater number of the "I bother" crowd. So many cups of coffee. So many who bother.
Thank you, my fellow proud Americans. Thank you for showing me your faces and your voting receipts, and for telling me your stories. I hope you enjoyed that coffee. I hope you know that when I wished you a nice day that I meant it with all of my heart. I hope that, regardless of how any of us feel about the outcome of this or any election, that we can come together as a common people to work towards bettering the nation for which we showed our affection and our allegiance. Maybe over coffee.
And...go Rams!!!!!
-C.
10 years ago
5 comments:
your city did good tonight. sweet dreams!
G-Does your blog allow comments? I don't recall see a link!
I allowed myself two hours to go vote before work; when I got to the polling place, there was only one person ahead of me in line. Then I walked over to Starbucks, took 'em up on the free cup of joe, and bought a scone to go with (because I hated to take advantage, y'know?) I really enjoyed that coffee, and it was for something I was proud to do anyway.
What a day!
Thanks for voting, MCP! I'm glad it was such a good experience for you, truly.
I love this entry. Your ability to capture the voting stories you heard while pouring coffee is just lovely.
Nice to capture that sense of a ground swell beneath our feet. The first time voters. The drive home to cast a ballot...its an exciting time. An awe-inspiring election.
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