Tuesday, November 8, 2016

It's Election Day. It's About Time.

My son came home from school the other day and asked me who I was voting for in the election.  His third grade class is holding an election, and they'd been talking about the candidates.  I gave him my standard lecture about the importance of participating in selecting candidates to represent us in government, and how awesome it was to live in a place where people are allowed to elect their leaders.

I started my life in the 60s, when the feminist movement was just getting started.  I did not burn any bras(I wasn't old enough for boobs!), but I grew up believing that women were equal to men.  Part of that equality, in my mind, meant that a woman could run for president, and be judged on her merits, just like a man.  It was very simple, but it seemed to be an impossible dream. Even the idea of a female vice president made people nuts.  It made me angry, it made me sad. Eventually, I just stopped believing.

Public service is not for the weak.  It takes dedication.  The office of the President is not a vacation or a photo op; there's a reason all presidents go gray during their service. It's a 24/7 job, for at least four years. There is no privacy for such a high office.  Most government positions are not the least bit glamorous or fun.  There are lots of big words written in tiny print to be read diligently. There's lots of arguing and speechifying before any real discussion. And so, so many boring meetings that you go cross-eyed.  What person would want to sign on for that? 

Well, this time, a woman wants to be president. 

This is not a blog post about how horrible one candidate is, or extolling the virtues of the other.  We've all had enough of that. What I want to do is take a moment to savor this:  People are voting today, and we have the opportunity to elect a woman to be our President.  I voted for that woman. I keep getting choked up about it, because I never thought I would see this day.  This is actual history in the making, and we all get to be a part of it today.  2016.

No matter what happens today, there are little girls all over this country who have had a dream planted in their hearts.  They've been told, many times, that they can be whatever they want to be.  They've been told to dream big, that the sky is the limit.  But that's never actually been the reality.

 As of today, however, it IS reality. 

3 comments:

  1. I feel the same. With the mudslinging, some was sticking. But when Hillary fell out from pneumonia, I had to admit she was one tough broad. All the naysayers and she perseveres. I don't know if she wins. But I will be choked up too.

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  2. I agree. And I also voted for her. But I think the outcome is sad, not because of the winner (let's be honest, nothing ever changes in Washington, regardless of who's in charge), but because both side have struck a chord with me.

    Because the orange man can say and do whatever he wants and get away with it. That sexual harassment to him is no big deal. That assault on women is no big deal. And that his behavior is "deplorable" on one side, when sung in a rap song, or committed by an NFL player is okay somehow in society.

    Every woman can agree that this is not okay. We all can agree that we are worth more and are better than that. That we can BE ANYTHING.

    And yet, when faced with the opportunity to validate that on the highest level, the women voted themselves out. They voted him the face of their country, as if subliminally saying "I'm not worth it."

    It's just sad.

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