Last night I felt it, down by Rockefeller Center…you could almost hear it… a faint buzz in the air. Excitement. The Plaza was a blaze in the colors of our nation…promoting, enticing the citizens at large to cast their ballots and vote on Election Day.

Amid the darkness of my room my cell phone alarm rang…3am. I fought against the warmth of my bed and made way to the shower. Seriously only the need for true change would have another up at that hour, much less up at that hour to travel to Queens from Brooklyn, all because she never changed her voter’s registration to her current address.

But like the buzz that I felt in the air last night I was bubbling with anticipation. An hour and 17 minute ride, plus a 3 minute walk and I was going to be part of hundreds of thousands that was going to be making a difference. Casting my vote so my voice and opinion can be heard.

I’m not a stranger to voting. When I turned 18 I went to the polls to help bring Bill Clinton into office…but back then I had my mother shadowing me. I wanted her to witness her youngest take part in one of the greatest acts of patriotism.

This time around all I had all I had during my train ride, back to a place I had spent some of my happiest times was the heat of her voice whispering “ I am so proud of you.”

Down at the school I was happy to see that I wasn’t the first one there despite the 5:45a time. Within minutes the line outside the school had grown and was curved around the block. And when I closed my eyes and took in the cool, crisp fall air I could feel that buzz…like a fly circling your head…of excitement.

Once behind the black curtain I pulled the lever right and turned a knob to X mark my vote…turning the lever left and paused for a moment and I could feel my mother’s hand on my shoulder as it was back in when I was 18 voting in 1996, saying “I am so proud of you.”

For all my quipping and complaining I did something today that regardless of the outcome I will be able to tell my children and my grandchildren and God willing my great grandchildren that I stood for A CHANGE and I marked it with an X.