Pins and needles, pundits and pontifications

Everyone has an opinion, especially on Election Day. No matter who I've talked to, a different painting of the election portrait emerges. It's been a fascinating experience.

In a sense, I feel like I'm one of the finalists in Survivor, and that the power has shifted over to the jury, the electorate in this instance. Everything I've said or done is out there in the universe and the voters will respond accordingly. It leaves one feeling rather powerless in a most delightful way.

I've been remarkably calm today, going about my work at the College, as if it was any other day. Tickles of anxiety creep in from time to time, but mostly I feel good, confident that we did lots of things right and that our chances are fair to middling. I feel that we are solid in the top 7 or 8, quite conceivably in the top 6, and potentially in the top 4.

I'm sure all my colleagues are rolling things around in their minds as we drive past the 3-hour mark before polls close. Is there anything more I could have done? How will I react if I lose? How will I feel if I win? What am I going to feel like tomorrow? Where am I going to store all these election signs till 2013?

For those of my candidates colleagues who have been through this before, I'm sure this experience is old hat. For me and my fellow newbies, this campaign has been a real learning experience. It's been fun.

So, whatever happens when the results come rolling across the radio or across the television screen, I rest in the knowledge that I did pretty good for my first time out. I revel in the fact that I was able to campaign alongside a passionate group of people who are committed to this region and its future. It's been a pleasure and a privilege.