I voted today. I stood in line for about an hour in a hall that seemed to go on forever. The paint was bland, the walls were bare and the conversation was kept just above a whisper, but still I waited. I decided to vote early because its just, well, convenient but as I waited I heard the complaints of others of how inconvenient this voting process had become. "The should've had more people working the polls." "This line is too long." "I might as well have come on election day" some remarked...but I couldn't help but imagine how it used to be, while I waited.
I could imagine the dogs barking at me as I tried to exercise my right. I could envision the scowls of the angry mob as they jeered and threw bottles at me as I tried to vote. All of a sudden the wait didn't seem so bad because, after all, all I had to do was wait.
Not fight, but wait.
Not fear bodily harm, but wait.
Not plug my ears to ignore the racial epithets of others, but just wait.
When I thought about what others have had to do to cast their ballot before me, when I compared their experiences to the minor "inconvenience" I was enduring I couldn't help but enjoy the wait because the joy of being able to do what I was doing made it well worth (a lot more than) the wait.
If you haven't already gone to the polls to vote, do so this week. There may be a line and it may be inconvenient but trust me when I tell you that it's worth the wait.
I could imagine the dogs barking at me as I tried to exercise my right. I could envision the scowls of the angry mob as they jeered and threw bottles at me as I tried to vote. All of a sudden the wait didn't seem so bad because, after all, all I had to do was wait.
Not fight, but wait.
Not fear bodily harm, but wait.
Not plug my ears to ignore the racial epithets of others, but just wait.
When I thought about what others have had to do to cast their ballot before me, when I compared their experiences to the minor "inconvenience" I was enduring I couldn't help but enjoy the wait because the joy of being able to do what I was doing made it well worth (a lot more than) the wait.
If you haven't already gone to the polls to vote, do so this week. There may be a line and it may be inconvenient but trust me when I tell you that it's worth the wait.
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