I did it. I barely made the cut but I voted today. However, it wasn’t an easy ordeal. I moved earlier this year, which placed me in a different county. I submitted my new voter registration card and assumed I was set for early voting. Wrong. I was listed in Suspense status, which meant there was no record of my voter registration at my new residence. Ugh.

I made a trip to an elementary school that held voting polls in my old county. As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, a myriad of memories came over me. It was the same street I used to take four mile jogs along in the morning before work. I was in better physical shape then but mentally, I’m glad I’m not the same guy. On the outside, I looked put together but I had many days where I felt like a mess inside.

During that moment, I literally felt like I was driving past old memories of myself. As with any period of life, there were some great moments back then and not so great ones as well. Looking back on that time now, I may have gained a few pounds, a few more gray hairs but I’ve also gained peace, understanding and some great tools to become a better version of myself. I want to drive past my former self again in a few years and see how far I’ve come. Don’t you?