I am writing this before the election; you will be reading it after! Here are some thoughts of a guy who has survived more than a score of U.S. presidential elections.

Always voted, for not to vote meant that I could not legitimately complain about the ones elected! Also, I nearly always had to choose the one I hoped would prove to be the “lesser of two evils!” And even when I felt good about the one I supported, I was often disappointed by his performance.

If your candidate was elected, realize that about half the people wanted the other one. And if not, as with sports contests, there’s always next time . . .

As I drive along past houses on our local roads, I often think about who used to live there. In my little subdivision just outside of Columbus, known as “The Woods,” there are many dwellings that were home to good neighbors before the ones who live there now. I think of the former friends first, and remember both happy times when we shared their joys, and the sad times when one died and the other had to decide whether to stay or to go.

Then there is the observation of what the new people do to the places as life continues. I see new faces at the neighborhood gatherings, new dogs being walked by our house; some hardy souls walking themselves (I go saunter on the treadmill at the climate-controlled gym. Here, I have to remember that if I go down a hill, I will have to walk back up. There, I can choose the incline amount, and remove it at will!)

In the case of the business houses, I experience a flood of memories. I used to work at some of them, so I think of the people I worked with and for. I used to trade at others, or eat there; in some I still can, and do. And if there is time, I may go into the new places to see whoever is there now. I hope all of you share at least some of what I am trying to say here . . . 

When the Polk County Historical Association published its Cemetery book, I reviewed it as “a good read.” How can a list of dead people and their burial plots be that? Well, as a long-term dweller in Polk County, for me it was like a visit with many dear friends as well as remembered acquaintances.

Have you taken a stroll through a cemetery lately? Cemeteries are a peaceful greenspace preserved in the middle of even large cities, so you can think of it as a walk in a park. I have kinfolks in most of the cemeteries around here, but even if you do not, maybe you can still identify with my thoughts—just think of those you left “back home” when you came here.

You may also feel, as I do, that many people besides our families helped to bring us up, indeed, still show enough interest in us to spend a little extra time sharing a bit more than just a routine “how-do-you-do.” So many teachers were willing to impart their portion of our inherited knowledge bank to us; many went further in showing us how to learn more on our own.

Indeed, we learn something from everyone we meet, whether older or younger, whether we expect to be taught something or not. That to me is the wonder of the social interactions that enrich our lives every day.