Elections

Yesterday morning my friend Ryan excitedly proclaimed, "Whitney, this is the greatest day of the year!"

"What?"

"It's election day!"

"Oh, yes, uh huh. Of course."

This sparked a lengthy conversation in which we made all kinds of projections, compared positions, dropped names. And in the evening, we both sat in front of the television, in our respective homes, following the nation's progress on our televison sets and laptops.

I rarely consider myself an American patriot, despite my assertion that what happens in politics really does matter. But Ryan's palpable excitement for the process was about more than the competition; it was about the choice. And the fact that we get to choose makes me proud to be an American.

I don't always have faith in the system, or in the individuals that run it. It drives me crazy when big bad America tries to control the rest of the world. But I think our founders had it right when they set up a government by the people and for the people. And I'm grateful to live here, even when the government in office wasn't my choice, because at least I had a say in it.

Maybe I am a patriot after all.