Oh Well, It's Only the Leader of the Free Nation

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

"A Tale of Two Cities", Charles Dickens

I went to vote. When I actually saw the presidential ballot I was hit by the magnitude of this election. My chest tightened, my hands shook and tears welled in my eyes. While I've always felt it was extremely important, I've never had such a reaction to voting. When I cast my vote I nearly pressed the entire stylus through the ballot, such was my conviction for my choice, or rather, my distaste for the candidate I was voting against.

I'd like to say I rocked my vote but, living in such a small state, it feels more like I whispered into the wind.