It’s Election Day in America. Seems as though it’s been Election Day for the last 2 months – in a way, it has – because of the pandemic, I think. So many people, not sure of what the spread of the coronavirus would bring from one day to the next, made sure to cast their votes as soon as early voting began. I know I didn’t want to take a chance that something would happen just in time for Election Day to strip me of my chance to remove Cheeto Satan from office.
Saturday, there was a full (blue) moon for Halloween. Fitting for this year, isn’t it? Two full moons in the month, one on Halloween, and she’s still looking fairly full even this morning (see photo.) Somehow, though, this moon exuded peace and calm, without menace or malice. Either I have tuned out all the frenetic fervor, or it has become muted. Both of these are possible. It feels as though the world has taken a collective deep breath, and is focused on its breathing. Breathe in, breathe out. Peace, calm, focus on what is important and what we can control.
After today, the outcome will be what it will be. There will be noise, to be sure, as all the results are tabulated. We may not wake up tomorrow with a clear picture of what January 21st will look like. Somehow, I am feeling much less anxious about it than before, and certainly less anxious than I expected. Could be because I have stayed away from examining the polls for about a week? My anxiety level tends to go up when I look at how each state is polling. So, staying away from that will likely keep me level-headed as we wait for a decision. I had definitely become a poll junkie, and that was really messing with my mind. So, stay away from the minute-by-minute results reporting, since many ballots will not begin to be counted until tomorrow, or even the day after.
The lines to vote are long, partly because of voter suppression, but mostly because there are fewer people able to work the polls this year. The elderly and retired are the primary poll workers, and because they are high-risk for COVID-19, many are foregoing their usual election day pastime and staying home. Social distancing is required in the voting lines, too, and that makes for a slower, more complicated process. The counting of mail-in and absentee ballots will be another slow process. Many more people, in an attempt to avoid situations that could be virus-friendly, chose to vote by absentee ballot. The pandemic is a bitch, surely stealing the joy of in-person participation in this process, like it has stolen so much else.
Do your civic duty, exercise your right and responsibility as a member of this great experiment, and then sit back and wait for it all to shake out. I don’t think the world will end. I actually think people want to take a breather. And if we keep the incumbent muted, he can’t stir up any trouble as he is wont to do. People need a break, for real. We need to be able to gather our strength for the next round – you know, the work of repairing all of the institutions and infrastructure and foundations that have been dismantled and destroyed over the last few years.
Take a rest. Remember, the work doesn’t end tonight or this week. It has only just begun, no matter the outcome.
We will need our strength.
☮