All together now

All together now, we play the music that makes a community. Togetherness is all too distant these days. We see each other across fences, across streets, across picket lines and other borders. Red. Blue. The blood of war.

Until we moved to Oregon, voting -- for school board or mayor or President -- started with standing in line. Precincts were small, so we saw our neighbors. Smiled. Bought cookies from parents and kids at the bake sale. I can see it, in my mind, the elementary school on the corner.

Now we vote by mail. Not all together, but each in our own homes with paper and pen. I love the quiet contemplation of it, the time to consider my choices with just one person sitting across the table. We mostly agree. Not always.

But, I wonder, even though voting by mail makes it so much more accessible -- does it widen our divides? I'll never stand in line with the ranchers in Eastern Oregon -- across the mountains -- much less with the people across the street. In Portland, people only stand in line for brunch -- or maybe the release of a new wine.

The COVID pandemic brought some of us together, and forced others apart. Now, as a country, we have some big decisions to make. We're already making them, really, day by day. All together, where will this take us?