Several years ago, I gained a new friend, Joan. I refer to her as my ‘fair-weather’ friend because she winters in Phoenix and spends her summers in Pennsylvania. Joan is eighty-five years old; yes, believe it or not she’s older than me. But she’s an active, vibrant substitute on our trivia team. In fact, she astounded our team one night when she knew every answer in the liquor category.

Now, she usually doesn’t come to Phoenix until Thanksgiving to celebrate the holidays with her daughter’s family, but a health issue provoked her to come last week. Thus, in celebration of her early arrival, some of us went out to dinner with her on Saturday night.

“Joanie, I’m so delighted you’re back early,” commented G. “I have tickets to the opera on October 31, and Sue absolutely refuses to go. She went once; she’s one and done!”

Joan laughed and fiddled with her cell phone. “Let me check my calendar.” She scrolled and shook her head. “G, I’m really a fan of opera, but I can’t go. I won’t be here.”

“Here? Meaning Phoenix?” I asked.

“Yep, back to PA,” she replied.

“Yuck! It can snow there on Halloween! Not a trip I’d take.”

“Sue, you’re lying! I know you, and you absolutely would make the trip. I’m so worried about the November election, and what might happen that I was afraid to request an absentee ballot. I mean who knows what that crazy man on Pennsylvania Avenue might do? I’m going to my home polling place on November 3rd and voting.”

In the midst of a noisy Saturday night restaurant, silence swept our table. “Our ancestors were jailed and beaten for demanding our right to vote. It is my duty and my right to honor their legacy, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let some lunatic deny my vote. If it means a one-way, four-hour plane ride to cast my ballot, then so be it.”

The rest of us didn’t know if we should applaud or cheer. “You got that right! Go do it!”

Hmm. If an eighty-five year-old woman can travel over 2,000 miles to vote, can’t we all go to our local polling places on November 3?

(BTW, this is not AI–generated. Some names were changed, but if you’d like to congratulate Joanie, message me.)