Last week, friends of mine were in Denver to experience the Democratic National Convention. This week, other friends are in St. Paul for the Republican National Convention. I spent Labor Day weekend camping out with friends; human, canine and equine. Others spent the weekend bracing against hurricane Gustav, or preparing to help those displaced by the storm.

Now, it is the Tuesday after a long weekend. I rushed to take out the trash, a task I tend to forget on Tuesdays after a long weekend. I did some laundry; the piles always seem higher after a long weekend. I did some dishes, read some emails and blogs, and took my car to the shop, which of course ended up being more expensive than I had hoped.

I think back to my friends expressing hope last week, proclaiming, “Yes, we can!” Yet back at home, getting ahead seems beyond reach. The simple task is not to fall further behind.

Yet it is in these simple tasks, as I stand in the sunshine hanging out the clothes to dry, instead of simply throwing them in the electric drier, that we can find ways to get ahead when it might seem like we are simply marking time or trying not to fall behind.

So, I am sure that my friends that have recently gotten back from Denver have plenty of catching up to do, yet as they catch up, as the prepare for November, and more importantly for what each of us will do past November, I hope they manage to find moments to savor the simple victories.