Kumbaya!

Driving to my polling place at the Town Garage, I got a little misty-eyed over going in to vote for a choice between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It occurred to me that this is a huge deal, and one that we should stop and take note. Maybe it's a good sign that not much has made, in large measure, to the fact that there is NO viable white man on the ballot for the Democrats.

But, I ask you to stop and think about that...drink it in:

THERE.IS.NO.WHITE.MAN.ON.THE.BALLOT.IN.THE.
DEMOCRATIC.PRESIDENTIAL.PRIMARY.

This is more than amazing. For younger voters, this probably doesn't seem all that unusual, I suppose. They've seen women and African Americans in every kind of role imaginable - in fact, so much that it's hardly even noteworthy. But, for those of us who experienced the women's and civil rights movements first-hand, I can attest that this is indeed a historic occasion.

These Kumbaya-like thoughts were rattling around in my brain when I arrived at my destination and saw a black man leaving the polling place. It was all I could do to keep myself from hugging him when we passed one another. Then, as I waited in line, an African American woman fell in line behind me. I wanted to turn and ask her who she was voting for, but I contained myself. As I awaited my turn to slip my vote into the collection slot, there was an Indian woman with two children. As the 5-year-old boy watched me check out, I was thankful that he would experience an entirely different kind of voting experience than people my age have.

So, who did I vote for? Well, you know that's a BIG secret.




PS: Lest someone assume I am totally a Pollyanna, on my drive home I also mused about who I would waterboard if I could choose any one person. I'll let you chew on that one for a while and add your own choices, if you so desire. :)