Yes, I vote in elections. But not like a team sport. I don’t vote party lines, and I don’t confuse emotion with evidence. I vote for what’s rooted. I vote for what’s possible.
But truth is, the ballot box isn’t the only place I cast a vote. I vote every time I show up for a conversation that matters. I vote when I choose to learn from perspectives that challenge mine. I vote when I refuse to reduce a complex world to slogans and outrage.
I vote with how I spend my time.
I vote when I advocate for accessibility and dignity.
I vote when I raise my kids with critical thought and emotional coherence.
I vote when I refuse to let apathy seduce me into silence.
We like to think of voting as a civic duty. It is. But it’s also a daily practice.
A thousand small votes cast in how we show up, who we listen to, and where we plant our energy. Some are loud. Some are quiet. But all of them count.
So yes, I vote in elections.
But I also vote in the spaces between them.
And I hope I’m not the only one.
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