Now Imagine A Voting Booth Instead of a Chicken Sandwich At The End of That Line

My daughter works at the local Chick-fil-A in our hometown.  Yesterday was nothing short of an amazing experience for her.

The day started with her receiving a frantic phone call early in the morning from her store manager, asking if she could come in seven hours early and work a double shift.  She ended up working thirteen hours yesterday.  People were still eating in the store an hour after closing time.

Her store typically grosses $12,000 for a Wednesday.  Before yesterday, their all-time record was $17,000.  The final tally?  The store took in $29,860 in one day - easily surpassing their old record before the dinner rush had even started.

During her shift, she noticed that people were polite, patient, and kind.  They weren't there simply to get food, as much as they were clearly in line to make a statement.  Occasionally, the entire restaurant would break out in applause in support of the employees.  One protester showed up carrying a sign, but left after a short time, being overwhelmed in numbers.  There were no violent actions taken or words spoken to this lonesome soul.  Perhaps everyone in line believed in his right to free speech!

Our family decided to support the effort by arriving at the store for an early dinner, where we found the line stretched outside, seventy-five feet beyond the front door.  That line went into the store and snaked around a 150-foot loop before approaching the order counter.  When we got there, it started to rain, but not one person standing outside decided to leave.  One manager was outside with us, and warned that it was likely that they would run out of chicken before we placed our order.  Again, not a single person stepped out of line to go elsewhere.  There was a purpose to this event.  And while we were making our way through the line (incredibly, it only took 25 minutes to complete the whole circuit, and there was a clean table waiting for us when we received our food), we chatted, joked and made new friends in line.  There was no feeling of hurry or dissatisfaction.  Instead, it felt like we were there for a reason.  We were showing our support for the right to free speech and the right to practice our own private religious beliefs.

And I couldn't help thinking - what if there were a voting booth at the end of this line, instead of a chicken sandwich?