Musings on Voting

Here in France, we are holding our first round of Presidential elections today.  As I went voting like most French citizens, I realized how lucky we are to be able to vote for our next president. The candidate I voted for may not actually become our next president, but the fact that I had the opportunity to give my opinion is quite fantastic, I think.

Maybe we are used to vote now, even us women, who only got this right a few decades ago, so maybe most don't think much of this moment. But let's remember, especially in France, how our ancestors rose against monarchy to create the first Republic, how hard it was to maintain a republic in the following centuries.

Then, how (male) citizens had to pay in order to have the right to vote, excluding a vast majority of people from the elections. Then, how voting finally became "universal" for men, then how women managed to get the right to vote as well.

I don't know what history there is in your country, but here in France, the right to vote has been earned by the past generations, and I gave a thought to all of this while I was voting, here in 2012. This made me realize how valuable this very moment is, and I took the time to appreciate it.

It also made me think of all the other valuable moments we have in life, even if they are not as significant as voting for our next president. How about eating strawberries, being able to read books, taking planes to fly halfay across the world? Our everyday life is full of small miracles, how about we gratefully enjoy them everyday?