A New Day by Liz Flaherty

Sunday, the 27th: I'm writing this ahead of time--at least some of it--because of lessons I've learned recently. This doesn't mean I'll retain those lessons.

And that right there is one of them. 

I worked the early voting polls yesterday. I like being a poll worker. I like knowing how hard these people work, how important (and occasionally annoying) the rules are, and how many steps are made to ensure fairness for all. I like that so many people take advantage of the right, privilege, and responsibility they have to vote. 

But before the polls, I was late getting there, because I didn't realize that because the precinct I was working in had been changed, I was also scheduled to work early voting. No one told me! I insisted. I still don't recall being told, but chances are good that I was and the telling got lost in the training. Which I was also late to because I thought it was the next day. 

Retention, then, is a hard lesson. Just because you take pride in not being late doesn't mean you don't have to do the work of keeping and checking your schedule when your memory has become...suspect. 

Dang it.

Another thing I learned is that (1) feeling sorry for oneself is not attractive, and (2) people are sometimes kinder than you deserve when you do it. In response to those lessons, I apologize for yesterday morning's whimpering on the Window and I thank every single person who ever reads it. 

Saturday, the 2nd: Today I will work the polls again--I plan to be there on time!

By next week, the Window will probably be opening on a new website. I am excited about it. The old posts will still be here, although we're moving a few of them to the new one, too. I hope you check out the site when it's done. 

It's the 2nd day of 30 Days of Gratitude. I don't know how many years I've done this, and I didn't actively intend to do it this year, but there it was. Maybe we need to have days of gratitude more during times when it's harder to be thankful. I worried this morning because I repeat myself on so many of them (just like with everything else), but I think that's okay. It's a reminder and it's about good things, so repetition it is. 

I have things to do this morning before I go, so I'll stop this without an end and do them. If you haven't voted yet and aren't sure you can make it Tuesday, by all means, do it today. 

Learn lessons--it's never too late. Have a great week. Be nice to somebody.