This is what being American feels like. Today. Seeing so many voters taking part. It’s insane. It’s beautiful. It’s history. Some day my kids will ask me where I was. I should be at Grant Park, but I hate crowds. And public transit. And massive amounts of people. Plus I didn’t have the golden ticket. So whatever.
I’m here, texting my sister who’s in a bar in DeLand (NoManLand) Florida, waiting for the Florida projection…talking online to a couple friends via Facebook, and staring at the TV screen where ABC is doing a great job of coverage. They have this crazy touchscreen board where Charlie Gibson touches a state, and it zooms into counties, and then he touches it again, and it gets all the stats of the state, down to black versus latinos, versus first time voters versus people making over $200,000. I love technology. It’s insane.
And I’m in awe. Even sitting watching election coverage, walking the dog for the nighttime walk, the air is filled with excitement, filled with this energy of extreme hope of a new tomorrow. Whatever the outcome, at least, for right now, for this night only, people care about this election, which means they care about democracy, which means they care about America. And that is a powerful thing.
It doesn’t matter who you voted for, who you’re rooting for, and who you hope to win. It’s the fact that you voted. You participated. You showed up and took matters into your own hands. And that deserves more than a free tall burnt cup of coffee from Starbucks. That deserves admiration. That deserves a pat on the back (even if its just you patting yourself on the back). That deserves a deep breath and a swell of American pride. Tonight, Americans finally showed up…and I can’t help but feel optimistic.
Here’s to optimisim. Here’s to a new tomorrow. Here’s to America.
