Vote Forward letters

I joined Vote Forward and just wrote 5 letters! I heard about it via swan_tower, who said it's proven to make a difference, reaches out to youth and/or minority voters, and has a small initial commitment.

Here's what I added to each letter: I'm voting this year because "I care! I want all of us to have our basic needs met and feel safe and valued. I hope you will vote too!"

I mean it SO HARD. Maybe each recipient will feel how much I want them individually to feel safe and valued, and exercise their right to vote in that direction.

Things I'm not writing, but I also mean: I am so goddamn scared. PLEASE vote. PLEASE. Please let my small effort flow with the larger stream of everyone's efforts and turn the tide.

Maybe I'll do 5 letters each day until they get mailed out on October 17th. I'm using the pretty "American Gardens" stamps that I bought to support the post office earlier this year. (Will need to acquire more business size envelopes and stamps if I'm really going to do it every day!)

The joy of errands

The day before yesterday I biked to pick up an order at Powell's Books. They have it organized so it's quick and no-contact, so I'm happy to support them when they have something I want/need. The woman setting out the order managed to convey kind greetings in the brief interaction.

I noticed as I headed out that the bike's back tire was getting low AGAIN, so rather than heading straight home, I detoured to River City Bicycles and the mechanic there kindly swapped the tube and did other maintenance. It involved sitting in their parking lot in the sun and waiting for an hour, and it was so worth it to get that dealt with before the rains start.

Those brief, kind interactions made me want to cry. They reaffirm that I'm real, somehow. My word of the year is kindness, and I'm realizing it has become crucially important in this time of isolation and political cruelty.

Yesterday I biked to the local walk up Kaiser flu shot clinic. It was also well organized, a quick-moving socially distanced line wending around a parking lot and ending in a large tent pavilion with nurses administering shots. I got a kind older male nurse who gave me a quick, smooth injection and sent me on my way. Looking back, I'm noticing that he set off my gaydar, which makes me smile. Again, great to have that dealt with before the rains start.

This evening I got on the Office Depot website to order envelopes and stamps for my little Vote Forward project. I noticed at checkout that the envelopes would not be delivered until Oct 20. *Sound of screeching brakes!* But my local store had them available for pickup and is open until 9pm. I briefly debated the risks, and decided to go ahead. I got the text that they had gathered my order soon after I placed it. Got on my bike, scooted down there, and it felt so good to be out and moving under my own power in the mild evening. The streets and store were almost deserted, possibly because of the VP debate.

I realized at the beginning that sheltering in place would remind me of being trapped in my parents' house as a kid, but this brought home the feeling of it. As an adult, I'm used to being able to go out and get what I want/need, rather than having to sit at home and hope it makes its way to me. All those errands were within a couple of miles of my house, so even brief excursions make a big difference. Going for a walk or recreational ride is also good, but not the same.