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November 02, 2004 6:35 AM- voting booth jitters
For the past 10 years, whenever voting day rolled around, I would head down the street and walk into the basement of the giant, red brick Catholic Church. As I walked over to the table to get checked in, my name would be called out with warm recognition and no photo id would be required. I would then proceed to one of the three little booths with the striped canvas curtains. Inside, I would mark my vote with a black magic marker (specially provided) and that would be that. I would pull back the curtains, walk over to the gentleman who was manning the voting box and hand him my vote which he would slip into the slot. And voila. No hanging chads. No butterfly vote. Clean and simple.
Sounds boring doesn't it? But it wasn't. It was charming and I loved voting day for the very experience that little town provided. Of course, lucky for me, that small ritual will always be perfectly preserved in my memory-- but for everyone else who still lives there it will be replaced with whatever it is they do now because the Catholic church sold that building to developers two years ago and now it is resort hotel/restaurant where weddings and conferences are held and it has a "world class" spa which brings to mind the adage you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, but whatever. Safe to say no one is voting there this year.
Least of all me, of course, since a month ago we moved.
Now we are in a town that is even smaller than the town I was in AND we don't live here, we are just renting here. So, this morning we have to go in to the firehouse? the town hall? I'm not sure--- we'll find out. And register with our lease and vote.
For some odd reason, I have absolute butterflies today. I am deeply concerned that the Bush campaign has succeeded with their fear-mongering and we will have four more years of this insanity. And I am not one to get wrapped up in the day to day year to year of human nonsense. I generally retreat to a 10 mile view where I see the crusades and the Aztecs and the civil wars worldwide and shrug, seeing as we humans are just so relentlessly predictable. But this time, this morning, my feelings and my rational mind are quite divided.
What I feel could only be described as premonition. And it does not bode well. And I hope I am so wrong. I hope it is just my aching ear that is making me feel unwell, or too much coffee or the thought of having to go into work---- and whatever it is, it is out of my control.
So I'm going to go take my coffee out on the deck now and then get dressed and then experience a new voting ritual. But tonight? A massage with hot stones . . . oh yes! (and no, not in the "world class spa" blah--- I have been going to a woman for years-- how else would I keep mysoul flickering in the corporate evil muck?-- who is AMAZING . . and I haven't been in ages . . calgon, take me away . . .)
got 2 cents?
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lady jane says:
OHHH my sweet bluepoppy. I hear the echoes of your fear, but refuse to give into it. No. No. I won't dive into that cesspool of despair, I will focus on how 120 MILLION PEOPLE could show up to vote today and change everything.
I will also miss my small town voting precinct - the past couple of years I went to a place just down the road from my parents' house, where they would smile at me when I walked in the door, and murmur, 'your parents said you would come.' My neighbors were the pollwatchers, and I would always give them a hug. Today I'll probably see new friendly faces, but I'll miss that 30 mile drive to cast my vote, singing along to the radio, and thinking my wandering thoughts.
Hold fast and keep the faith, my friend.
posted on: November 02
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otter says:
O! What a nice memory...We too vote in a small local church (I always wonder if that doesn't violate the separation of church and state??). I truly hope your intuition is off today, but I'm preparing for the worst and hoping that I'm happily surprised...
posted on: November 02
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violetismycolor says:
ah, bluepoppy, I hope your intuition is wrong...and I know that people are so gullible and uninterested in really thinking about all that our current Pres stands for...it is truly frightening. Our family has cast our 4 Kerry ballots, so we're trying!
posted on: November 02
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Chrishawn says:
Oh, my dearest BP, I do hope that your premonition is wrong. But you have the same premonition as one of my best friends and my mother. But we are holding out hope. And your old voting experience sounds quite lovely indeed.
posted on: November 02
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yogagirl says:
well I promised Pesky Apostrophe $100 cash if her prediction turned out to be true. I sure hope to send her $$ tomorrow.
posted on: November 02
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Chris says:
I did my part...glad you did too! Now we just have to see if that "campaign of fear" worked!
posted on: November 02
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Margaret says:
There was certainly something much more special about voting in person, first in a church and later in a local elementary school. However, I do enjoy the ease of the mail-in ballot! I have the same sickening premonitions you do--but will HOPE for the best!
posted on: November 02
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lizardek says:
I will feel like hiding under the covers for the next 4 years if my worst nightmare comes true. :(
posted on: November 03
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