How Did We Let This Happen?

 Global warming - a myth. That's why the year 2016 was the warmest in recorded history. We need to close off our borders. We need to build a wall. We need to start torturing people as a policy. Almost anyone can be made to confess to anything, whether they did it or not, if they are tortured enough.  

At this rate, there will be no country left for our children and grandchildren to inherit. Women, African Americans, gays, anyone who is not white skinned and does not speak English (American English at that) should be banned from the United States, or at least relegated to the bottom rung of society, and have no say in how this country is governed. They simply aren't good enough. This is the message the current administration is sending to the American people, and a lot of the population seems to agree.

Respect the office of the Presidency. That doesn't mean to not look at what the person holding that office is doing. Is he following the law? Is he keeping the promises he made? Or is he still lying  to us? is he respecting the office of the Presidency?

Take Mexico and "the wall." Mexico will pay for it, we were told. Funny how that has evolved into us, the U.S. citizens footing the bill. Now it is to be paid for by a consumer tax, which always hits the poorest people hardest. So you and I will be paying for this wall, although we have no say in whether or not it should be built. It should not. This wall is not creating opportunities for knowledge or friendship, but is increasing isolationism and the fear of the unknown., to say nothing of the cost of living.

Will there be a country left for my grandkids? Or yours? I'm beginning to doubt that. We are fouling the air and the water, making enemies of a great part of the globe, contributing to global warming, and ticking off most of the other people in the world.  This President terrifies me.

Missed Opportunities

It seems the internet has finally caught up with real life. It now knows what kind of clothes you like, your favorite style of music, and what your favorite literature genre is. And on almost  every website you go to, you see the ads that prove your computer knows you better than you know yourself. Buy this shirt, it seems to yell, because you bought one just like it last month, and from the same seller. Or, download this book because it's just like the last one you read. And, buy this lawn ornament because it's the same one you bought last year, and from the same retailer. Somehow, "they" know whatever it was you bought last year didn't make it to this year.

At first I thought this was a really nice feature of being on the internet. I didn't have to search too hard for stuff I liked. But the more I thought about it, the less I liked it. How would I ever know what else was out there if I didn't look? Maybe there was a shirt I would like better; or a different style of music that would be interesting and  fascinating. Or a different type of literature that I would enjoy.

But, no, how could there be? The internet always directed me to what I liked. I never had to look at opposing political views, or non-fiction books about Asia, or anything to do with economics. All I had to do was click on the ad in front of me. But then I thought, how can you learn anything new if you just stay with what you are used to?

Maybe I got tired of not hearing about new ideas, of not learning new things. Maybe joining a book club was my first act of rebellion against being stagnant. I hope there's more to come.

New Year's Day

A new start, or just another day? A day for looking back, for looking forward, or just looking around. A day for letting go of bad thoughts; forgetting bad deeds, both those committed against us and those committed by us; looking forward to what lies ahead. Looking forward to doing good and living well.

Time to make resolutions which will probably be very similar to last year's, and which I will break today or tomorrow or next week , if I'm very determined. Lose weight, exercise, write more, be kinder, spend more time with family and friends and less time thinking only of myself. These good intentions always seem to hover around the edges of my  consciousness, but one way or another, are usually ignored. There seems to be a curtain drawn between my good intentions and my real life. Is this an iron curtain or a cotton one? Will I be able to get through it? Only time will tell.

After thinking long and hard, I have decided to make two resolutions only:
          1. Live well
          2. Live good

Per Olov Enquist: “One day we shall die. But all the other days we shall be alive.”

Are There Consequences?

Why doesn't Lake Erie just cave in? What's holding it up? Does anyone know how much salt has been mined from beneath the lake? And now someone is taking the natural gas from beneath the ground. With what are those spaces filling up? Are we going to have one big sinkhole someday? Or maybe a lot of smaller ones? It's not just here, either, it's all over the world. Pretty soon we may be walking around on a thin crust, hoping things won't cave in.

These are a few of the questions that show up in my head on nights when I can't sleep. People who know these things just laugh and tell me not to worry; nothing bad is going to happen. How do they know?

All this worrying is giving me a headache; I need to take a nap.

Huh?

The English language must be outgrowing me. I have trouble keeping up with the current usage of certain words and phrases. For example, hardly a day goes by that someone on some TV show asks someone else, "Mind if I join you?" I always think the correct answer should be "No, I don't mind," or just "No," if you would welcome the other person. But lately, the answer, at least on TV, has been, "Yes." The person asking then sits down next to the first person. To me, the answer "Yes," means, "Yes, I mind; please go away."

More and more, when a character in a book means yes, the author writes, "She shook her head yes." Don't you nod your head when you mean yes, and shake your head when the answer is no? When did this change?

And what about the phrase, "I could care less," when the person saying it clearly means, "I could not care less." This can be a bit confusing.

Then there's the double preposition - "From which he fully expected to wake from." What's with that?

I hate to admit to losing concentration when I'm reading, but, no matter how hard I try, when I come across one of these words or phrases, I get distracted thinking about whether it is proper English, and what the author really means. I can almost lose track of the story. Am I the only one this happens to?

To Dream or Not to Dream

A recent commentary on NPR pointed out that, today, there is little chance for anyone to be bored.  Our time is constantly filled with electronic games, texts, even movies and TV shows which can be downloaded onto devices small enough to carry in our hand or pocket.   Back before cell phones, iPads, or computers, there were times when people actually had nothing to do. Now, if you're standing in line waiting for a table, waiting for the store to open, or even on hold on the phone, there is always a distraction waiting to be accessed. We no longer have to be bored.

The commentator's point was that we are missing out on the times when our imaginations were allowed to soar, or when we could  dream of what might be, or even develop a plan for the future. According to her, this is where our minds went when we were bored. Now, there is a lack of daydreaming, perhaps of creativity. She believes we need these times of boredom to dream, and dream big.

If that is the case, then I have always wasted my time.  Since about the age of 6, I have never gone anywhere without a book. If I had to wait for an appointment, my book was there. If someone ran an errand and left me in the car, I had a book to read. Even when I was put on hold, or during TV commercials, I  had a book in front of me. Now I have to wonder just how imaginative I could have been if I had put the book down and filled the empty time with daydreaming. Would I already have had that novel published?

Do I still have time to learn this art of daydreaming?

Journaling

Journaling - defined as "a form of psychotherapy." I wasn't even sure it was a real word when I started doing it, but there it is. I do keep a journal, maybe better described as morning pages. I don't write in it every day, but I figure if I managed my time better (my one and only New Year's resolution), that journaling time would increase. The difficulty is, my great-grandson also likes to write in my journal. Since he just turned 5 and is only now learning his letters, this can sometimes be a problem. He didn't seem to notice that he was writing his thoughts down on top of mine, effectively making it impossible for me to go back and see what magical ideas I had had.

There is no way I can yell at him, or tell him he cannot write in my journal; really, I'm glad he wants to do this. So I decided I would put my current binder where he would be unlikely to find it, but where it would be easy for me to get at. I'm sure you can guess what happened - I forgot where I put it! Days went by and I looked in all the desk drawers, on all the book shelves, everywhere and anywhere I thought it would have been logical to put this binder. Not there, or there or there! Yesterday, I finally found it! Right where I put it, on top of a bookcase, under a beautiful wooden bowl made and given to me by a friend. It is now back in plain sight, on top of the table in the pool room,

And yes, my great-grandson is again writing in my journal, But he has assured me that he is only writing on the pages I haven't used yet! I think that is very thoughtful of him, don't you?