In one way or another it has been an eventful couple of weeks. Watching Obama's acceptance speech I was struck by his comment:
"The role of citizens in our democracy does not end with your vote. America's never been about what can be done for us. It's about what can be done by us together through the hard and frustrating, but necessary work of self-government. That's the principle we were founded on."
A couple of years ago I realized that what I do, how I live, is a quiet form of protest. But what I realized this past week is that it is also a political act. We talk about voting with our dollar at times. Here's some of the ways I did that today:
Line drying the laundry. I've been without a dryer for the last five months. This week my brother called to tell me a friend of his was moving and that he had a dryer I could have. I said no, thanks but no. Crazy? I've decided that I'm not going to replace my dryer. It adds $10 a month to my electricity bill. That's money I'd rather spend on something else. That's electricity that could be used in other ways. Living with less... One of my favorite poets talks about this here. (Wendell Berry)
It was a beautiful day to walk to the farmer's market, to gather most of what I'll eat this week, to talk to farmers and makers and neighbors.
And then 2 hours in the garden, cleaning the chicken coop, tidying vegetable beds, some weeding.
Mending. The hem on a shirt I made, a pair of jeans in the hopes they'd last just a bit longer, turning the knit edging on a coat I made a couple years ago to the inside so it would be a little quieter so that I can wear it more places.
Tomorrow I'll get up and vote again.