Political Passion Revisited

I have to say that yesterday was AWESOME!

I got to the polls at 5am. In our neighborhood, the polls are located at Dewey International School which is within walking distance of our house. Dewey has undergone serious renovation in the last year and it looks great! It's one of the few St. Louis city schools to which I would consider sending Jonny... especially now that the asbestos has been removed.



The line at the polls was like a neighborhood block party. I've always loved living in Dogtown because the "feel" of the neighborhood is very political. Almost everyone has an opinion about politics -- and we all attend neighborhood meetings and town hall discussions. I think it's partly because we're sandwiched between Wash U. and SLU, Clayton and the CWE where a lot of movers and shakers reside. I also think that the history of Dogtown lends itself to revolution.



Dogtown was erected in the early 1900's as a sort of tract neighborhood to house servants and coal workers. Dogs ran freely during community soup dinners in the common areas and the general landscape was absolutely trashy. Some would argue that it still is a little trashy, but for some reason the Bowman's can not imagine living anywhere else!



Anyway, I saw all of our neighbors at the polls. It was good to sip coffee (actually, they sipped coffee -- I can't drink coffee because I get too hyper) and catch up. The long St. Louis winters generally preclude outdoor meetings in Dogtown. The winter months demands us all be a bit more intentional and actually invite each other into one anothers homes. None of us are really good about it -- so we're all generally seasonal friends. As I write this, I'm feeling more convicted to be proactive this winter... we'll see.



So, I voted and walked home so Jon could vote. Little Jonny was sound asleep not knowing that election day is one of the greatest priveleges we have as Americans... He was probably dreaming about Pokemon.



After I took Jonny to school and had the car to myself I felt a huge chill go down my spine. At the risk of sounding cliche, I have to share the following: I am so proud to be living in America. I am so proud that my neighbor could hang a disgusting Sarah Palin sign hanging off his front porch (reference earlier post) and that I could write him a letter and we could talk about our differences. I'm so proud to be able to safely walk to the polls, cast my vote, and walk home whiteout being scared of machine guns or angry party leaders. I'm so proud that I can work in a place where the majority of my colleagues do not agree with my political views and yet I am not discriminated against. I am so proud that I attend a church that preaches that God is not Democratic or Republican, He is God. I am so proud that America now has a black president and that Jonny will grow up not really understanding why all of our Presidents have been white males since there are so many other types of people who would be qualified to hold the office of Commander and Chief.



I was excited when Obama won. Actually, I was sleeping -- and Jon woke me up to tell me that Obama had just secured California's electoral votes and that the race was over -- THEN I was excited, BUT I felt a greater sense of excitement throughout the day as I reflected on all the freedoms with which I have been blessed.