The alarm went off at four this morning and I noticed we had a visitor in bed this morning. Sometime after I crawled in bed and fell asleep, Ivy came upstairs and jumped into bed with us. She usually sleeps downstairs, but it is comforting to have her lying at my feet warming my legs, even if she isn’t supposed to be our bed.

Today is Election Day, and I wish I could find comfort in the election, but sadly, I don’t feel that the election will solve our problems. I’ll be voting in an hour, it’s on my way to school, and W will watch me. In four years, it will be his turn.

I remember my first presidential election and every election after. It was 1980 and I voted absentee. I was at Texas A&M in the Corps of Cadets. We did not watch the returns, but we listened to the radio as the new president was announced. A loud roar crossed the quad when we learned and a buss on campus. It was a different time. It seems millions of years ago, but it wasn’t.

I hope my guy wins, but if he doesn’t, I hope we can work together to solve our problems. All I can do is cast my vote, stay engaged and try to let my representatives know where I stand on the issues. Democracy is messy. There is nothing easy about doing what is right.

All I can do is to work to Make My Day Count. I don’t have kids in my class today, or on any election day, because the school district is concerned about who has access to the school and whether it is safe for kids and voters to be mingling together. I can see the point, but I miss tramping down to the election room and showing the kids how it works. How you make your voice heard. We have parent teacher conferences today, and again Thursday night. This is where bi-partisanship is truly at its best – the parent, the teacher, and the student working together to move the student forward.

Yesterday was the half-century mark, for school days that is, and we began the process of brainstorming for our narrative. I read last year’s narrative to my students and they hung on every word. We spent class time dissecting my work and looking to see if it had all of the elements: strong opening, clear theme, characterization, and a strong closing that we had agreed upon in class. We’ll start writing again Wednesday. I can’t wait.

In the meantime, it is time to press publish and get on with the day. Making the Days Count, one vote at a time, one conference at a time, one moment at a time.

Do you remember your first election? How did you feel?