Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Privileged To Vote. Use It Or Lose It.

I Voted. Did You?
One of the doctors [in my office] and I have been talking politics since last September when he saw a Ron Paul sticker on my desk.


Yesterday, this doc stopped me in the hall just to tell me he got to vote early. [I guess it's a doctor's privilege to do so because of their crazy hours.] He was very excited about voting and I asked him why he wasn't wearing his "I Voted" sticker. What he told me next just warmed my heart.

He said he put his sticker on an index card, documented the date, signed it, and gave it to his daughters. This was his first time voting in America! I had no idea! You see, he's an ESL (English as Second Language) doc from another country. I was so happy to see his genuine excitement for this special event in his life; something a lot of us take for granted.

I told him he should have kept his sticker long enough to wear to work the next day [today] and he said, "I know! Why don't you get me one tomorrow morning when you go vote."

Let me tell you. I was never so excited to get up early to go vote as I was this morning. I got up extra early (which I HATE to do), placed my vote and got a sticker for myself, the doc and another one for his wife. I placed the two extras on his desk before he came in. Less than 1/2 hour later he showed up in my office doorway with a big smile on his face and thanked me for the stickers. He seems to be walking a little taller now when I see him in the hall.

GO VOTE!!

6 comments:

  1. Hi Foo,
    I had a great experience today too...I was able to take my son with me for his first time voting and this was his sister's first time too but she voted with an absentee ballot since she is away at school. Because of that she wasn't able to get a sticker so the pollworker gave us a couple extra and we put them in the mail to her this afternoon. Kinda neat that their first experience will be such a historic vote...they will never forget it.

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  2. Very cool. Tell my nephew he's "all growed up" now. =)

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  3. Hi Foobella, that is a wonderful story!!! I voted weeks ago by absentee ballot, as did my husband. You are right , it is very important to do, I hope everyone goes out to vote today.

    ruth

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  4. Hurrah for voting! I'm quite excited that I posted my absentee ballot last month. Being an American living in a foreign country, I'm even more excited about voting than ever before.

    What a great little story!

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  5. Glad you got to vote, Ruth. You too, Amy, and wow! I got a comment from an American in Sydney. Very cool.

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  6. You all turned out in record numbers yesterday. It's been so interesting to watch with a Canadian perspective. I'm old enough to remember watching the race riots each evening on the news all through the 60s so to see you elect an African american and see him accept in a park where I saw African americans clubbed by police way back when was a sight to behold last night.
    Congratulations on using it, not losing it Foo. The people have spoken.

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