In the heart of Maine, where the lake waters gleam, Where dreams unfurl like ripples in a gentle stream, I was a child, with innocence aglow, Growing up by the lake, where wild spirits flow.
With the morning sun, I’d rise at dawn’s first light, Embracing the day, with wonder and delight, The scent of pine, the soft whispers of the breeze, In nature’s arms, I found solace and peace.
A fishing rod in hand, I’d sit by the shore, Casting my hopes like dreams, where the fish would explore, Patiently waiting, my heart in harmony, With the rhythm of the waves, and the call of the loon’s glee.
As the sun climbed high, I’d plunge into the lake, With joyous splashes, my worries I’d forsake, In the cool, clear depths, I’d let my worries drown, Becoming one with the water, in this haven I’d be bound.
Running free through the woods, a spirited race, With friends at my side, laughter echoing in grace, The canopy above, a green cathedral high, We’d chase fleeting shadows, under the vast, open sky.
Each day a canvas, where memories were painted, With colors of laughter, of joy, and adventures untainted, In this idyllic world, we’d weave stories to treasure, As we danced with the sun, and embraced simple pleasure.
The fireflies would twinkle, like stars from the earth, As twilight descended, a magical rebirth, We’d gather ’round the campfire, stories to share, Under a moonlit canopy, our spirits laid bare.
As seasons passed by, we grew with the land, Matured like the oaks, as nature’s guiding hand, But the spirit of freedom, the lake’s boundless grace, Still lingers within us, time cannot erase.
Now, as I look back, through the years that have flown, I cherish those days of innocence I’ve known, For the lake in Maine, where my heart found its voice, Will forever remain, my sanctuary of choice.
Today I am expressing my gratitude for Growing up in Greenville, Maine. There have been few influences on my life greater than this. The foundation of who I am today was built on the streets, in the school, in my home and with the people I shared the experience with.
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Winter is a long season in Greenville, it makes you tough and you really like spring! the Katahdin is an iconic boat that cruises Moosehead Lake, and of course an image of Mt. Kineo. All images of my youth and this wonderful place.
Small Town To Say the Least, Greenville, Maine
Greenville was and is a very small town, but it was the only town I knew as home as a child. There are two sides of the coin when you
My brother and I actually playing outside. That is what it looks like.
live in a small town. On one side people are supportive of you in all that you do. On the other side, it is difficult to live your life without having everyone know your business.
That is the fate of a small town, for me, those issues were never a factor because I loved living there and growing up with the people I grew up with. A small town gave me the foundation to think, create and write. In many ways, I have never felt as much like myself as when I was there.
Friends Forever
It is an odd thing about friendship that it often flows in and out of your life like the tides in the sea. The shared experience that you
The Indian Store, a non- PC name for a non-PC town. But a one of a kind shopping experience.
build your friendship around often determines the length of the friendship. Believe it or not, the people that I went to elementary school with in Greenville, Maine are still some of the dearest friends I have.
There was something about working our way through the growth of our youth that allowed us to bond. With very few exceptions, today when I see someone from that era, we can talk and carry on in a fashion like no time has passed. I believe this is true because we knew each other before life taught us hard lessons, and gave us difficult things to deal with. At the core of each of us is that person we were when we were young. I think I look at those friends with the eyes of understanding, that I know who they are, and they know me. There is no judgment on choices we have made, or what we have become, it is what each of us was that I remember.
When I hear from one of these people on Facebook, or should I see them in person, I am transported back to a time in the 1970’s before cell phones, computers, and video games, when we actually played outside, every day. These were my brothers and sisters and still are today. That is an experience I am extremely grateful for.
The Town Itself
If I took you on a tour of 1970’s Greenville, we would walk the mile
It was not a rare occurrence to see a moose, a bear or any other Maine wildlife. It was a small town in the middle of nowhere!
from the school to my house in the Junction, and on the way there, most every car that passed we would recognize. It seemed like I knew everyone. We would walk to Breton’s store which is still there today and buy the candy treat of our choice with the quarter I had squirreled away for just such an occasion. My parents never worried that I would be harmed or abducted. They told me to never talk to strangers and in Greenville, it was easy not to do, I knew everyone even as a kid.
If we went into the downtown area, there were a number of old haunts which still exist today at least enough to let you meet the ghost of my memories. It doesn’t matter if I went to Jamison’s Store or to Harris Drug Store, I always seemed to get what I was looking for. I was always with a friend or my brother and we were always on the go, heading to a pickup game of some sort.
Moving, The End of That Life
As I was finishing the 7th grade, I found out my family was moving. I didn’t tell anyone because I think I felt if I just ignored it then the move would never take place. I did not want to move. I loved my friends and my life there. After moving I picked up the pieces of my shattered reality and moved forward, but in my heart, I will always carry that place, the people, and our experiences there in Greenville, Maine. I am grateful for them all!
Day 11 of my special gratitude project has me thinking of music. Music plays such a big part in most peoples lives, it is no different to me. The music sets the mood and can latch on to a memory and allow you to be transported to a particular place and time simply by hearing the notes. I almost always put a song at the end of every post, not because they need it, but it makes it better to read if you listen to the song as you read. Try it.
My favorite songs change each and every week depending on the randomness of what is happening in life. Since I am feeling particularly grateful for music I will give you my top ten songs of the week. They are random and not specific to genre. A song can be number 1 one week and gone from the countdown the next. Enjoy!! Be grateful.
(Click the title to SEE THE VIDEO)
Wake Me Up- Avici-This song just hits me right in the heart. The message of looking for yourself, resonates. Give it a listen and you will feel better!! Go ahead. Click it baby!
Chillin’ It- Cole Swindell- Any song that reminds me of my young self I can’t get enough of. I am a country boy, I was raised in Maine, I had no choice. This song reminds me of those those days a long time ago, spending time with that special someone, rollin’ with the music.
A Message- Cold Play- This song caught my mind this week and hasn’t let go. I think we are all continually sending messages. Some overtly like blog writing, and many more subtle ones. I think we all want our message to be received and understood. Get the message? My song is love, is love unknown and I’ve got to get that message home!
Radio- Darius Rucker- Not only am I a huge Darius fan, and have been for many years, this song, is one that again takes me back to my youth. Really all we needed was a car with a radio to make us feel really cool. It is great to feel cool. Even when you know you are not. Go ahead go riding down that highway.
Ships In The Night- Matt Kierney– Aren’t we all just ships in the night, that pass without knowing anything about each other. It is a waste of time to not connect, especially with someone you could be great friends with. Don’t be a ship in the night. Good song.
Over You – Daughtry- This is an older song that I have been able to relate to lately. I never saw it coming, should have started running a long, long time ago, and I never thought I’d doubt you or be better off without you, more than you, more than you, more than you know!! Give it a listen if you are trying to forget someone. It helps.
Mine Would Be You- Blake Shelton-Because we all have, guilty pleasures, and those that know us better than anyone else, and we don’t often say it when we have the chance. My finest hour, my wildest dream come true, mine would be you!
8. Here I Stand- Sonny Rey– I heard this song on an episode of touch, which is about how we are all connected. I believe that for better or worse this is true and this song captures the essence of my feelings. Here I am, I am just a man, here I stand. I’m doing everything I can to show the world who I am. Here I stand.
A Drop in the Ocean- Ron Pope- You never know why a song attaches to your mind, but this one grabbed mine probably because………it’s a drop in the ocean, a change in the weather. I was hopin’ that you and I would end up together!! Whatever the reason, have a listen and be careful it will get in your head.
Sweet Annie- Zac Browne Band- This is a beautiful song, that makes you want to know someone named Annie. But haven’t we all known someone who makes us feel like this? Here’s to all the sweet, pretty, kind, beautiful women I have ever met.
There it is, take a listen and I hope you are as grateful for the music in your life as I am.
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I have known this guy for over forty years and he still makes me laugh by ignoring signs and being funny. (he is trespassing)
It should not be difficult to look at one’s friends and to feel an overwhelming gratitude. For me, that is certainly the case. Friendship isn’t a relationship that you can buy or force anyone to participate in, it is a connection over a shared experience that binds you to that other person in a positive way. I think that the right positive friendships in life can enhance your life. At this point, I have come to realize that all friends are not created equal, but all friendships are a valuable thing, and here are my thoughts on why.
Laughter is the Best Medicine
Life is too short to go without laughter, and a good friend can usually bring about a laughing fit about almost anything. It doesn’t matter how long you have been friends, looking at life in a humorous way is going to allow your friendship to grow. I have always been drawn toward the people who can snicker at the day to day events we are faced with. If you can’t laugh about it then you are probably going to be spending a lot of time crying. Think about your friends and how many have been centered around laughter. I am having a hard time thinking of one person that I have enjoyed spending time with that didn’t involve laughter and joking of some kind. I am sure it is possible to be friends if you don’t laugh but it would seem to me a much more dour prospect.
Think about your friends and how many have been centered around laughter. I am having a hard time thinking of one person that I have enjoyed spending time with that didn’t involve laughter and joking of some kind. I am sure it is possible to be friends if you don’t laugh but it would seem to me a much more dour prospect.
Old Friends, Always Friends
All friends are valuable and don’t need to be labeled.
I was blessed to grow up in a small town in Maine, where I went to school with the same group of kids until the seventh grade. The neat thing about these people, is that now almost forty years later when I run into one of these people, the time that has passed does not matter at all.
With some, it is as if no time has passed at all, the conversation is a bit different but the relationship is still the same as it was back in the old days. The shared experience of growing up like that apparently builds a bond that isn’t easily broken or forgotten.
I am grateful for these relationships because no matter what is happening in my life, those people know who you are and always accept you the way you are. I am grateful for these connections.
Some Come and Go and That is OK
In life, I think friendship is often like the tide, inevitably moving in and out. It has become a belief of mine, that people enter your life for a reason, most often to teach you something. Friendship is no different.
Maybe it is how to do something or how you look at things, but the more you allow people into your lives the greater your personal growth is. Unfortunately once the lesson is learned, these people often move out of your life.
This is OK because you will have to grow, be open to new experiences and new lessons that friends yet unmet will teach you. The value of the old friends is not lessened by the fact that you have to move on for now. You can keep in touch and when you see each other later in life, you will always have that shared experience.
Since new friends are a great path to growth, you always have to be willing to greet and make new friends, which can be difficult. My advice is to take them wherever you can get them from. I have learned much more from the friends I have made over the past year than they could ever imagine.
Toxic Friends
Not everything in friendship is a bowl of cherries. Sometimes, there are people you are drawn to who initially are great, but after awhile you realize that all they do is talk about other people in a derogatory manner. Sometimes it is as blatant as making a comment as soon as someone is out of earshot.
If they are doing this, what do they say when you are out of earshot? Probably nothing good. I am grateful that I haven’t had to deal with too many of these, but the ones I did have to deal with, taught me a lot.
I think there are only two choices here, change the dynamic of the friendship or move away from it. The people that you choose to spend your time with will not only define you to the world but will impact how you feel and how you react in it.
Changing the dynamic is nearly impossible but give it a try. When something negative is said about somebody, immediately say something nice about them. I have done this twice and in both cases, the person found reasons not to discuss other people with me again. Life is too short for negative thoughts and feelings, I am grateful to keep most negativity out of my life.
Thank You Friends
Friendship is one of the most important factors that makes this human experience worthwhile. There is something about sharing, thoughts, ideas, laughs or good times that is bonding to all of us. The educational experience, the work experience, the life experience, all of them are grounds for bonding through friendship and through friendship we are able to grow exponentially further than we could by ourselves. Isn’t that the basis for blogging? Putting your ideas out there and seeing if there are like minded people who can appreciate what you are thinking, feeling or doing?
Personally I am grateful for all of the friends that have entered my life, either for a season or a lifetime and I look forward to meeting those that come into my life in the future. Friends are the measuring stick of Your reality.
A picture I took at a random location of the fall foliage.
The lessons that nature teaches us are on display all around us each and every day. All we have to do is listen and being fortunate enough to live in an area the has a distinct four seasons, I am lucky to experience these changes and I am grateful for it.
For many years I am ashamed to say that I never really enjoyed or contemplated too much about it, but lately, I can’t help but be amazed and think about all that the changes of the season bring to the world. Right now it is autumn in Maine and that means that each and every day you will see a wide array of colors, red, yellow, orange and even brown. This change where once there was only green makes you think and often about gratitude.
On the Surface
Seeing the leaves change is a pretty miraculous thing. To think that nature knows exactly how to work itself for the trees to survive is amazing, and further than that there is the show they put on. I have been fortunate enough to see, bright-colored leaves reflecting on the still waters of a fall lake surface. It brings many thoughts to my mind as I look at the colors and understand them for what they are. Harbingers of what is to come and we merely need to listen to hear their warnings and to learn from them.
Change Is Constant
One of the best reminders of fall is that change is happening all around us all the time.
Leaves are falling all around, it’s time I was on my way.
You may not be able to see it visually, but everything is changing all the time. These variations are usually never as visual as the leaves but they are as real. Each relationship, job, and personal journey is changing all the time.
No matter what you do and no matter what you think of your current circumstances, it matters little because soon they will be different because things are always changing. Just like the fall will eventually give up its life to the oncoming winter, so must we learn to let go of our attachments to this life.
It is the values of these changes that make them appear good or bad. Yet aren’t they simply just experiences? The fall season helps me to contemplate and understand the changes that are happening in life all the time. I have a gratefulness inside for all of the changes that have happened in my life and that growth is not possible without change.
Endings Are Just Endings
Another great thought of fall is the twilight of the year, the ending of summer and how this season represents an ending in our lives. The phrase “The Autumn of our Lives”, captures this effectively.
I have a problem with this phrase because we simply do not know with any kind of certainty when this life is going to end. it may be over in five minutes or it may last another 30-40 years. Nobody knows.
When you look at the fall it will have an ending, just as all of our lives will, but there is a hidden promise in the fall. It is there in every nostalgic feeling and thought, that eventually, the spring and beautiful summer will come again. We just need to be patient. All things will eventually end, that is the way that the universe works. All things have a beginning, a middle and an ending.
This is not a bad thing, it is only a thing. So it teaches you to enjoy the summer, or the fall or the winter or whatever season you are experiencing right now because that is all you have right now. There may never be another summer to look forward to, so not completely enjoying today is a foolhardy choice.
The fall makes me grateful for each and every day and what it has to offer.
This world of blogging is a strange world indeed. You read blogs, leave comments and begin to feel like you actually know the people you are talking with. Yesterday I had the great
Kim (left) of Tranquil Dreams visited the Life of Jonathan the other day. It was awesome.
fortune of actually meeting one of my blog friends in person and to make them an actual friend.
If you have never read Tranquil Dreams then you don’t know Kim. She writes eloquently about food, books and especially movie reviews. I enjoy reading her work and what I like best is that she always has a friendly and encouraging comment to share with you when you visit her blog.
Kim told me she was coming to Maine awhile ago, and I was hoping that we could meet in person when she was here. We were able to work out the details and I was able to spend some time with Kim and her awesome boyfriend Eric. They were kind enough to humor me and listen to my stories about camp and life.
For me it was a thrill, and if Montreal is full of people like Eric and Kim, I definitely have to visit there.
I hope anybody who is coming to the area, gets in touch with me to arrange a meeting, it was amazing to meet your blog friends in person. Also in the picture, Kim makes me look really tall.
In life there aren’t many experiences which bring large numbers of positive people into your life at once. Each person making a lasting impact on you, whether it is big or small. If you are a reader of this blog, then you have noticed my absence recently.
The great crew from camp after an unexpected dip in the lake. It cost me a phone but it was well worth it.
I had great intentions of being able to keep writing while working the hours that this great experience requires for the short-term. Unfortunately life has gotten in the way, and my intermittent contributions will have to do until the middle of August.
Inspiration comes from life, and I think that to live your life to the fullest and gather the lessons that each day has to teach, you need other people in it. There is a sign in my current office which I did not put there, but it serves to remind me about the impact that people have. It states. “Everyone brings joy to this office. Some when they enter. Some when they leave. ” I have found these words to be true.
My current occupation is as an administrator at a small summer camp in Maine. It is a fantastic place, and the staff that works here consists of tremendous young people. I often hear people complain about the younger generation and the fact that they lack work ethic or morals. I would challenge them to spend a day with the counselors at our camp. You would be bowled over by character, determination, hard work and just plain decency. They are all good kids who contribute greatly to the successful running of the camp.
Selfishly, the influx of all of these great people has made me a better person. All people get down, and need an encouraging word from time to time. Without even knowing that they are doing it, almost without exception this group of young people has encouraged me daily, and inspired me not only to advocate for them, but to remember my younger self and the dreams and inspiration that come along with it.
Often times as life moves along we tend to minimize the number of people in our lives as we become set in our ways and interests. I know that I have been less likely to venture out of that comfort zone to stretch to try new things. This entire experience has been a stretch and a growing experience. I know that it is only for a short season, which gives me the strength to carry on through all difficult circumstances and also reminds me to cherish the moments that do come along.
Each and every person in this adventure, those that are here and those that have moved on have made an incredible impact on my life in a very short time. From the owners to the girl who washes the clothes. I am truly lucky to have been able to be impacted by these great people. I am sure that just as quickly as we all came together, we will all separate at the end of the summer, but the memories of this experience will last with me for the rest of my life.
It is difficult to explain to someone who lives in a warm climate the power and majesty of a snow day. Sometimes they are a surprise, and sometimes they are expected, but they are always awesome. It is like having extra holidays in your life and you never really know when they are going to hit.
Definition of a Snow Day
What is a snow day? I guess that some explanation is needed. When mother nature decides to pour down many inches of the white stuff, the entire area that is covered generally shuts down and there is no work, no school, no NOTHING!! All there is to do is hope the power doesn’t go out, watch the snow fall or play in it. I personally can drive well in the snow, but it is the other people who can’t I fear. I would just as soon wait.
Being a Kid Praying for Snow
There were many nights when I was growing up that I would gamble that the snow would come and I would not have to have my homework done. In the town I grew up in they had a fire whistle that you could hear everywhere. (very small rural town in Maine) They would blare out a special signal, three short blasts for no school. As I got older and moved, I relied on the radio for this vital information. (no internet then).
It was so comforting to be able to fall back asleep, somehow the blankets were warmer, and the pillow more comforting. Finally you would inevitably get up, dressing in 42 layers of clothing and going outside to play until you got frostbite or hungry which ever came first. I was fortunate enough to have two brothers and about 40 neighbors to throw snowballs at and go sliding with .Then finally after a long day of play with your friends, you had to do the homework you put off. Snow days were a free day, probably the best thing about dealing with winter.
A Snow Day for Adults
For much of my adult life I was a teacher, and the snow day magic persisted. It was even more intense and fun. I would wait to get the call, school was cancelled. Then happily sleep until I felt like getting up. A lot of days, I would go meet some fellow teachers for breakfast, because it is never too snowy for that. The great thing was, no work, no rules, nothing to do but have fun. Snow days as a teacher were 100 times better than snow days as a kid.
For other “normal” people, it takes a lot but they occasionally get a snow day too. When there is just too much snow, then everything closes. The mood is usually set by the state government, if they call off work, most everyone else does as well. Businesses might as well close, because nobody is coming to buy anything. Snow day is here.
The Hype of the Snow Storm
This picture is from the blizzard of 1978.
Now with the news and social media there are no shortage of the impending storm. What will happen is that it will snow like crazy tomorrow, Friday February 8, everyone will stay home, on Saturday the roads will be clear and it will be business as usual.
People are strange because they will stock up like there will never be another trip to the store, in the near future. The stores run low on food. The warning of a snow storm is great for business. Everywhere you go, people talk about the storm. Strangers conversing about the impending doom that is on its way. This is the biggest storm since 1978. I heard the following nonfactual statements this morning:
*This is the biggest storm since 1978
*It is going to snow for two days. (That never happens)
*The world is most likely going to end anyway, so let it snow.
People get all hyped up about the storm, probably from latent feelings of loving snow days in their youths, and then the event is usually quite a let down. It only snows 18 inches instead of 24. If you live in a snowy area then you know what I mean.
Reality of A Snow Day
Tomorrow has already been cancelled in Maine. Schools are going to be closed, stores are going to be closed, roads are going to be slippery, the state is going to shut down and it is going to snow a lot. I am not going to have to go to work. I will get to sleep in until 6:30, the latest I am capable of sleeping. I will be able to spend the day doing stuff like reading, writing, and learning. It is going to be awesome.
So if you live in a warm climate, enjoy the heat and enjoy your normal day at work. I will be busy doing whatever I want and can do with snow up to my rump.
Pretty addicted, How much? Friend me and find out.
About five years ago, I had never heard of Facebook, and I was intimidated by the new technology that was coming out on a seemingly daily basis, but learning to adapt and overcome the hurdles that life has put in front of me, I slowly integrated myself into the world of social media. I started my Facebook account in 2007 according to my timeline and it has been slowly infiltrating my daily life since. Now I have to check Facebook to see everything from the latest news, to what music to like and who I should be listening to for fashion tips. Alright I have never really cared about fashion but you get my point. Facebook has gone from something I have never heard of to the single most dominant form of media in my life today, in about five years and I am not sure if that is good or not. I do know that is has changed the way I look at the world.
At first I didn’t check it very much, but I found out that you could connect with other people you haven’t seen in a very long time, which was kind of great. Each connection you made was like a walk through your past, remembering friendships, enemies, good times, bad times, everything out there you can imagine. For me it was the older connections that really meant and still mean a lot to me, people that I knew when I was young. There was a shared experience of youth that provides a common bond between people. Reconnecting in this way is the strength of this medium for people my age, I think.
So you wanna be friends?
It used to be this easy to see what someone’s intentions were. Facebook makes it even easier, but I think the note works better.
This is the one of the oldest questions that I remember being in kindergarten and asking this question and there is something very basic and reassuring you get from the answer. If the answer is no then you know that whomever it was is really a jerk and not someone you can rely on. Or if the answer is yes, there is a warm feeling inside that someone out there likes me. Or they really just want to creep around my page and see what I am up to. I am an optimist so I will stick to the thought that they really like me. It says, “you are ok, you are alright! You have a friend.” Even if you have a thousand friends, there is always room for one more friend or two, I mean can we really ever have too many friends? I still love reconnecting with someone after many years and seeing what they look like now, and all of that type of stuff that everybody does but doesn’t admit to. I think there is a desire in everyone to connect, to revisit those shared experiences.
Technology has Grown My Addiction
Since the cell phone companies have been so creative with their little smart phones, now there is no time of night or day that I can’t just flip on my phone to see what is happening
Come to think of it, I did write on the wall when I was young.
on Facebook. Honestly I will check it three or four times an evening, just to make sure that I don’t miss anything. It has also become my number one news source. There was an earthquake in Maine in October. I didn’t feel any vibrations, I didn’t see any damage, I only knew it happened because Facebook told me so. If there is an emergency, Facebook tells me. Traffic trouble? Facebook tells me. Nuclear explosion, Facebook tells me. Surprisingly, Facebook seems to be significantly faster than and just as accurate as the main stream media and more so if you count FoxNews as a major media source.
So here I am in my mid forties, unable to go longer than an hour without looking at Facebook on my phone because something might happen. Thank you Mark Zuckerberg for complicating my life.
Messages on Facebook are awesome, I love to get them. Somebody liked my link? Hell yes
This is what a letter looks like. For those who don’t know this was Facebook before the internet.
they do! Someone commented on my post? That’s what I am talking about! When I get a message on Facebook it must be what it was like back when you got letters in the mail. Someone took the time to think of you, write it down and send it to you. That is awesome. Except when someone you work with realizes that the only communication you will consistently check is Facebook and starts sending you messages there that are totally about work stuff. What a rip-off! I think, “Wow, look at those messages! This is a great day.” Then I click on it and see what it is……….it is like someone just cancelled the Super Bowl. Even if it is really vital information that will make someone money and it should be good news, I can’t help but be significantly disappointed in getting work messages on Facebook.
Let’s Ask Facebook
So here it is 2012, I can’t imagine what kind of technology is coming next, but no matter what it is, you can bet your ass that it will involve an easier way to interact with Facebook. I am not sure if I am happy or sad about this, I will have to check Facebook and see what it tells me to feel.
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There are many people today on November 7, who are disappointed with the outcome of the election, because in our country we all have the option to believe whatever we want. There are people who feel disillusioned and have hurt feelings, and conversely there are many who are feeling like there is a brand new day ahead of them and there is a lot of hope for tomorrow based on these election results. I do not belong to either group and I will tell you why.
The first thing that I am thankful for is that I have the right to vote, what I think is right regardless of what anyone else may think, I am able to make my own considerations about issues and make the choice for myself how I want to vote. There is no negative ad on television that can tell me I am wrong. Neither can the obviously conservative individuals or blatantly liberal continuously posting on Facebook, the decision is all mine to do what I think is right, and that is a feeling of individual power and pride in my country that can’t be equaled anywhere else in the world.
Placing my ballot into the machine, I had to get permission for someone to take this picture. I can’t imagine that could be illegal
After a long month of nothing but the worst common element of fear being broadcast by both of our major political parties, it is quite frustrating to listen to both sides beat up the other about every conceivable issue. I am feeling surprisingly good today, because the negativity could possibly end. Then if both sides actually worked together to solve all of the issues the country is facing, and look at the real way that things are done in Washington, then maybe the next election won’t be so polarizing. I can always hope. For me though, nothing can ruin the enjoyment I got from exercising my constitutional right, voting the way my conscience dictated. There is no mention of political candidates or parties, because the choice of who I voted for is my business and nobody else’s.
The one issue that I was happy to see passed in the great State of Maine is Question #1 and now same sex marriage is now legal, and there is just a little less discrimination in the world. This was a question of human rights and discrimination. Nobody is going to be compelled to enter into same sex relationships, nobody’s religious beliefs are going to be questioned, churches are not going to be required to change their doctrine, in fact the world will move around the sun much as it has throughout history, there just won’t be discrimination against same sex couples in the State of Maine. More freedom can only be a good thing.
On this Wednesday, November 7, 2012 the sun has risen and it will more than likely set, even though the election didn’t go the way some wanted and did go the way some others have delighted in. Every person in the country has the right to love their families, enjoy their work, look forward to the future, and to be happy regardless of who is going to be president for the next four years. Everyone had a chance to participate, talk about and argue over the issues in public, and there were no arrests for thinking differently. It is a great country still, we have survived world wars, depressions, civil wars and foreign attacks and still we are here. There have been both extreme liberals and conservatives in the White House and still our country is a great place to live, and I will still feel the same way four years from now.
The facebook wall post that is supportive of voting
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