Voting dance

Today I voted.

I left the house early and drove to a nearby middle school. Because I had decided to vote on my way to work, I found myself caught in the morning school traffic. I competed with parents of sixth, seventh, and eighth graders for access to the area near the gym. They wanted to drop off their kids; I wanted to park and vote.

A line had formed inside the door. When I entered, I couldn't tell which person was the end of the line so I asked, not wanting to make a wrong assumption. All Americans know the importance of lines and not violating the queue.

Our family has traveled just enough to know that other cultures do not have the "line" tradition. It's not that the other cultures are rude -- they simply haven't adopted that particular idea of ordering themselves one behind the other.

I mused on the intricacies of lining up as I waited in the gym. Each person must stand just the right distance from the person ahead -- not too close (we like our space!) but not too far because that would damage the integrity of the line.

As new people entered the door, most asked -- as I had -- for clarification on the end of the line. Because the line wasn't moving very fast and the number of prospective voters was increasing rapidly, the line-standers had to move in such a way to curl the line away from the door and back into the interior of the area. This was important because it was very cold outside, and the line-standers were being considerate of new arrivals. Thoughtfulness. Group cooperativeness. An interesting unspoken "dance" among strangers.

Periodically, people who had completed voting returned from the interior, approaching the door area. Without a word, people parted the line to allow the voters to exit. Again, it was a procedure of silent assent. Everyone seemed to know just how to move to allow passage without damaging the line in any way. Simultaneously, three people stepped forward and three other people stepped back, creating a gap for the leaver. In some ways it resembled a waltz.

It was actually a beautiful collaborative effort. And the voting was cool too. All of us coming together, with our different perspectives, with our varying opinions -- but all of us participating in this shared dance to select our leaders. Leaving space for each other. Helping each other find the right spot in the line. Respecting each other's position. Taking turns.