Election Day!

No, this is not a political post. It is an encouragement post.

YOU NEED TO GO VOTE!

It’s a beautiful day. We left the house at 6:55, arrived at our polling site @ 7:05. Waited in a long, winding line for over an hour. Voting itself was quick and easy. Here in PA, we’ve gone back to paper ballot that’s not as easy to hack as the electronic ones. Of course, where there’s a will, there’s a way.

This is not our polling site, but it gives a very good idea about the general turnout today:

It was orderly, with no one being obnoxious or threatening. I pray that will be true throughout the day, everywhere that people are voting.

It’s a precious right and privilege to vote. There are people around the world who have NO say whatsoever in who controls their governments. Whether your preferred candidate wins or loses today, you can still be thankful to live in a land in which people are free to vote without fear.

Remember that every vote DOES matter! If you don’t vote for your preferred candidate, you’re helping the one you don’t prefer.

One thing I noticed this morning was that no one within my hearing range was talking about their preferred candidate. Conversations that I could hear involved children, job interviews, boyfriends/girlfriends, the weather, and how glad people were that this campaign season is just about over.

Everyone was courteous, considerate and friendly.

This is the real America, folks. This is plain, ordinary people who have no desire to fight, be ugly, cause pain to others.

This is the America I grew up in and have loved for over 70 years.

Go vote today in order to help us stay the America of which we can be proud.

Not My Normal Post

This is way out of my normal topics here on this blog.  I’ve debated about whether or not to do it, and I hope I won’t be sorry.  I will tell you ahead of time that I will not allow any comments that are vulgar, profane, or hateful.  You may disagree, and that’s fine.  Just please be civil.

Which is part of my issue this morning.  Mr. Trump is one of the most uncivil “political” candidates ever to debase the process of electing an American President.  He’s a bully, and I am truly tired of his constant name-calling. He’s especially unkind to Jeb Bush, who is not my favorite candidate by a long shot. Still, there is no excuse for the vitriol that Trump spews against him and his family whenever he gets the opportunity–or, rather, MAKES the opportunity.  He’s rude.  He interrupts and then won’t concede the platform.

Do we really want a President who has made his billions in real estate?  Who owns the land upon which casinos practice their trade?  Don’t we understand that all sorts of evil attaches to casinos?  Mr. Trump is no Sunday school teacher, not that  the President needs to be one.

He has made some weak claims to Christianity, but when he tried to use a biblical reference at Liberty University, he clearly didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.  He told an interviewer that he doesn’t need to ask forgiveness;  if he ever “makes a mistake,” he just fixes it.  Apparently, this is a man who, in his own eyes, does no wrong. I think that’s dangerous. We’ve already suffered nearly eight years with an arrogant, lawless President who uses his pen and his phone to get his way, regardless of our Constitution. Why do we think Trump would be any different?

I am saddened that so many believers are supporting a megalomaniac who has no sense of his own wrongdoing.

So why is he popular?  That’s pretty easy.  He’s pushing the buttons that most true conservatives respond to. We don’t want to be invaded by illegal immigrants.  We don’t want ISIS  here. We don’t want more spending, more taxes, more entitlements. We want a strong military that is not hampered by silly rules about having to get permission to shoot when the enemy is in the crosshairs.   Trump is promising to make America great again, and that appeals to all of us who remember when everyone in the world wanted to come here because here, they could be free and safe from tyranny.

And they could get good medical care without waiting for years to have necessary surgeries.

Those were the good old days.

My personal opinion is that Mr. Trump would be just as guilty as Obama has been of flouting Congress, ignoring the rule of law and doing exactly as he pleases to achieve his goals.  Obama promised us hope and change, and he didn’t try to hide that he wanted to “fundamentally change America.”  He’s achieved a lot of that. Trump is promising grandiose things as well.  Making America great again sounds wonderful, but Trump is used to doing whatever he wants, with no restraint.

I don’t want that kind of President.  I don’t want a man who shows no respect for his fellow candidates, who bullies and calls names and tells them to be quiet.

You know, I went looking for a video of Trump calling Bush names.  Do you know what came  up on Google when I typed that into the search bar?  Just the opposite!  A whole page of “Bush Attacks Trump” articles.  So I tried it with different words, and got pretty much the same results.

I think that’s just a little bit strange.

Friday Counseling Issues: People

People are interesting, aren’t they?

I swim laps at our local YMCA.  When it gets busy, you expect to share a lap lane with another swimmer.  There’s plenty of room for two people in a lane.

Not for one woman. She feels she’s entitled to her own lane, and anyone else can just wait. If you happen to be in “her” lane before she gets there, she makes things uncomfortable.  She has actually gotten into pushy/shovy arguments with others. This is a woman in her 60’s, and  you’d think she’d know better.

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A counseling office is not set up like a medical office, where two or three people have the same time slot with the doctor, who goes running back and forth among them while they are undressing, or dressing, or just sitting there cooling their heels. In our counseling office, a counselor is scheduled with ONE client at the top of the hour. A counseling session is 45 minutes.  What’s the extra 15 minutes for?  Notes, bathroom breaks, time to stretch and get your head back on straight before the next client comes in.

The other day, this guy comes in with no appointment, demanding to see his counselor RIGHT NOW!  “Sorry,” says the secretary. “He’s on vacation and won’t be back until next week. I’d be glad to set up an appointment. . . .”

“I NEED TO SEE SOMEONE RIGHT NOW!!  Isn’t there anyone who’s free?  I’ll see anyone!”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Fuss and Feathers, but all our counselors are with clients and they all have people coming in.”

“Well, tell someone they’ll have to wait!  Don’t you understand?  I need to see someone NOW!”

Mr. Fuss and Feathers continued to rant until one of the male counselors dismissed his client and came out to see what the bother was.  He talked with Mr F&F  for about 15 minutes, giving up his bathroom break.  And of course the problem wasn’t really all that serious.  Mr. F&F must be a pure joy to live with.

Then there was the lady this morning who hesitantly tapped my shoulder as I surfaced to make my turn in the lap lane, asking me if she could share my lane. Of course, says I, no problem.  And we swam comfortably together for maybe 15 minutes until the lane next to her cleared out.  She thanked me and ducked under the lane divider.

See how easy it is to just be polite?

On Tuesday morning, first work day for me after the huge snowstorm, I pulled into the parking lot, which had been well-plowed, and parked my car with no trouble at all.  Someone else pulled in right beside me, on the driver’s side, parking too closely for me to get out.  I put my window down and made a “roll your window down” motion. He lowered his window, and I explained the problem. You just never know how someone is going to react.  There are no markings in our gravel parking lot, so you just have to be paying attention when you park.

To my immense relief, he apologized, backed out, and re-parked so that I had plenty of room.

See how easy it is just to be courteous?

Mr. Fuss and Feathers could take a few lessons from Miss Manners.  You don’t have to agree with everyone all the time, but you can always just be polite.