The Vote Counting Continues
My dog, Rika, is helping to count the votes. She just needs me to take off my sock – you know, because toe counting makes it easier. She is pretty clever and she did get me off the couch, but it was her intimidating stare, not the paw-pressure, that did it.
Look Up!
I still cannot tolerate listening to all the possible outcomes of this election. I kind of wish I could stick my head in the sand until the counting is over. However, this is no time to choose to be in denial, folks. This is really happening: Millions of manual handwritten mail in and early drop off votes must be manually counted. We can’t rush the process. We must be optimistic. Whatever that means to each of us, we must be that. For me it means remembering to look up, because even on the worst political days, this is beautiful.
Where We Are Right Now (it’s a nail-biter)
It’s a nail-biter alright. Or, if you prefer, it’s a frisbee-biter. If you’d like to see where we are right now, here is a map of current votes counted per state, as of about one hour ago, by NPR.
If this frisbee was sanitized I’d give it a go myself. It seems to pacify Rika when she’s overly excited. Her stare is unnerving though. I think one of us needs a sedative.
Reflections
One day, way off in the future of this country, all the votes will have been counted. Americans will have time to reflect on an election gone bad due to a global pandemic and a crime family that cheated its way into the White House.
This year has been horrible for far too many innocent people. Surprisingly, the blue wave did not occur. Too many in this country are willing to believe conspiracy theories being shouted and tweeted by the president himself. It’s disgusting to contemplate how many Americans are still eager to vote for a person who promises walls to protect them, but instead builds walls to protect himself from the people.
The pandemic has put a wrench in our politics because the current man-in-charge has intentionally politicized it and used it as a campaign message. Remember back in February when he called it a ‘Democratic hoax?’ “He has weaponized the word “hoax” throughout his presidency, using it to belittle and discredit former special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian election interference as well as his impeachment trial.” -NBC News Feb. 28, 2020
It’s Thursday and the count goes on, and on, and on. The count will soon be over and I am certain all of us, here and abroad, will gladly welcome calm, still waters where we can reflect on these intensely emotional times. But let’s not forget. Let’s continue to mourn lives lost during this pandemic. And let’s not forget the freedoms this administration has so desperately tried to rip away from us. Reflection is good. Awareness is good. In the meantime, keep counting those votes and remember to look up occasionally.