I’m not sure why, but as I sit here staring at the envelope I know nothing is final until I take it to the post office and drop it in the slot. You see, this registration is about switching from being a Registered Republican my entire voting life, to that of a Registered Democrat. I though it would be something easy to do. But I feel as if I am leaving behind something that I once believed in, and walking away from one’s beliefs is not a simple thing to do.

At the same time, I know I have to do this. For far too long, I feel that nothing has changed. The rich are getting richer, the poor, poorer and on top of it all we have been living in a war period that will not reach normalization regardless of what people want, or when the troops leave, until it plays itself out as did that of World War II (think fall of the Berlin Wall & the Soviet Union.)

I am not a believer that we (the U.S.) should recoil within ourselves and pull back from the rest of the world, but we need to stop trying to fight the “BIG” fights alone and begin to focus on tackling all of the small battles we have right here within our own borders. The ones that have been ignored or put on the back shelf for far too long.

Maybe I feel this way now because I am older. I am impacted more by the economic issues which introduce new levels of financial risk. Maybe I am concerned as a parent that some of the issues I grew up with will be inherited by my children if we continue to ignore them. Issues of the Environment, Racism, Inflation, Homelessness, Healthcare, Social Security… the list goes on.

These are all dramas that are playing out in my mind and I only see them seriously being debated within the Democratic party due to the Clinton/Obama battle. The Republican message, is just the same old regurgitated rantings.

The truth of the matter is, I am not ready for another 4 or 8 more years of the “Same old song.” I want change, even if it hurts a little, and I want it now. Getting things done takes cooperation and collaboration even if it means conceding a bit to the ideas of others. I think the word is “Bi-Partisanship.” Doing business the way it has always been done never gave me anything in return.

Tomorrow, I will head to the post office, approach the slot and slowly let my future fall from my fingertips as I commit to voting for true change. Wish me luck.