Vote

Vote: Swoon 24

I vote. Primaries I tend to vote with my heart. Elections I vote with my head.

The last few years in politics have been very upsetting and divisive. Family is broken apart. Friends are no longer friends. It really is yucky. My family tends to be on a similar page (or at least in the same book) so holidays have not been broken, other families have not seen relatives in years. Too much name calling too much hurt. I have been no better in my strong feelings, but I am trying to soften and look for a better way, this battle of wills is not working for anyone.

The other day I became FB friends with a conservative man from the upper midwest, he is a friend of a friend and we had a little back and forth on social media. We listened to each other, and even with some snark, we connected. He asked me to be “friends”, I hesitated because I really didn’t know what to expect, then I said what the hell. We are now connected. He has gone through my feed and “liked” certain posts, showing me which things we have in common. He is a veteran of the Vietnam war, a Sentry Dog Handler, and he misses his military dog to this day, swoon. We have very different beliefs on certain matters… but his dedication to his animal, beautiful. My new friend.

Yesterday I made the mistake of commenting on a political FB post. My point was that during the primaries… promoting the positive aspects of a politician might be more helpful than bashing the politician they are running against. It did not go over well.

Do you like the laughing emoji? I find people use it less for laughing at something funny than they do for saying… I find you stupid and beneath me.

Anyway, this primary season has left many raw. First picks are out (mine is), people don’t like the “other” and can only see the negative. It seems no matter what horrendous thing is happening in the world our divisions are stronger than our ability to band together. That is sad, we all lose.

My kids will be living in this world long after I will… so I have decided to vote for the person they are backing. I figure since I helped get them into this mess, the least I can do is help get them out of it… the way they see fit. I hope young people get out an vote this election, sadly, it seems they are not as likely to go to the polls, no matter how much they promote a candidate.

There is so much that can be done by listening, being positive, making connections outside of our boxes, and giving the younger generation a few nudges to act on their dreams. Do you (or your kids) and vote.