Deja Vu Therapy

I spent some time poking around the archives of this blog this morning. I started by reviewing my writing from past Novembers, in search of my thoughts and observations on Thanksgiving and food, but what I found to be more timely and helpful were my thoughts and observations on the election in 2016. In fact, reading what I wrote then kind of made me feel better now.

See what you think:

Blue State Blues
November 8, 2016

I confess that I did not sleep well at all last night, and when I finally rose this morning, I was dreading the day.

The pouring rain in the gray dawn of this morning seemed like an appropriate contrast to the brilliant sunshine and autumn-colored promise of yesterday. It was also appropriate that the lesson in my English today was on composing belief statements in support of our upcoming essay-writing unit. Not surprisingly, our diverse student body had plenty of belief statements to go around today, and they really wanted to talk about them.

"What did you think of the election?" they asked me.

"I was surprised by the results," I said neutrally.

"Were you sad?" They were definitely looking for an ally or an enemy.

"I know a lot of people were disappointed," I answered, silently counting myself among them, "but a lot of people were happy, too."

And then I shrugged, thinking of myself tossing and turning last night as my phone glowed with update after devastating update. Could it really have been fewer than 24 hours ago that I was hoping the other side would turn their attention to what unites us rather than what divides us in support of a Clinton administration? Could I do the same now?

"I'm open-minded," I told them, "and I hope for the best."

Against the Wind
November 20, 2016

We braved steady winds of 20-30 mph (with gusts of 50!) to bike-share around the tidal basin today. Well, Kyle and I pedaled while Heidi and a friend ran-- kudos to those two! We had the wind at our backs all the way from the FDR where we picked up our bikes until we made the turn toward the Jefferson.

There we had to laugh as, spinning our pedals as quickly as we could, we nearly stood still on the asphalt path. And once we stopped to say hello to Heidi who was chugging along from the other direction, it was impossible to even start riding again. So we turned in our bikes at the station conveniently located there, and spent a few minutes with one of the founding fathers.

As we stood in the rotunda, I remembered reading that the huge bronze image of Jefferson had intentionally been placed in the direct line of sight of the statue of Alexander Hamilton on the north side of the Treasury Building, so that he could keep an eye on his fiercest political rival.

I took a moment to line up my view with his, but although I could only make out the roof of treasury, I got a clear look at the White House. It was practically glowing in the midafternoon sun, and I confess that my heart swelled more than a little at the symbolism.

It's been a hard couple of weeks for me as I have wrestled with finding the appropriate way to respond to an impending Trump presidency. In all that I have heard and read and thought, my brother's advice has guided me most: don't protest the election or any abstract idea of the man, rather speak out against specific actions and policies that you feel are wrong and work for what you think is right.

Returning home I was greeted by some breaking news: Donald Trump confirms that wife Melania and son Barron will stay in New York after the presidential inauguration.

The president's family not living in the White House?

 I think that choice is wrong.

Extreme Waiting

I blithely swung by Trader Joe's on my way home from another errand this afternoon, planning to dash in for a few items I needed for dinner. Perhaps the packed parking lot should have been my first clue that my idea was not original, but I got a space right away when someone pulled out. The traffic in the produce section was weird; many shoppers were milling more than usual. 

It wasn't until I turned the corner at the back of the store that I realized they were in the line to check out. Sixty people or more wrapped the entire interior perimeter of the store, waiting for their turn at the register. There were literally more people waiting than shopping.

I could have left, but I am always impressed by the efficiency of the check-out process there, and so I quickly finished my shopping and headed to the back of the line. Out of curiosity, I launched the stopwatch on my watch and then started watching my fellow waiters. Although there were plenty of wide eyes as folks realized just how long the line was, it seemed like everyone was as patient as I was, and in 12 minutes and 47 seconds, I was on my way out to my car.

Extreme Weather

Wait! What is that weird wet stuff falling from the sky? Could it be our record-setting 38-day drought has finally broken? This, after September nearly set a record for consecutive rainy days. Fingers crossed, we have a couple of record-setting blizzards in our near future!

Net Gain

Our cat Tibby is one of those plant-eating felines who can't leave anything green alone. As such, we have to hide or place any plants or cut flowers out of her reach. Over the years, that's become more challenging: our place is only so big, and Tibby's pretty adept at finding and reaching almost anything. 

There is one place that's an exception, though. The downstairs bathroom is always closed, so we have taken to putting any bouquets we receive in there. To be honest, it's kind of awesome, really. Fresh flowers in the powder room are a lovely touch.

Kids Only

Heidi was home today, and so we walked Lucy together. The three of us ambled amiably through the back greens and commons of the neighborhood, away from the streets and traffic. There are little playgrounds back there, near the pools and tennis courts, and we saw groups of children playing unaccompanied by adults, which is a rare sight in this area. 

Not surprisingly, the kids were doing and saying ridiculous things: shoving each other over a liter of Pelligrino, arguing over a swing, playing mean princess in a log cabin-like structure, and riding bikes recklessly down embankments. Even so, we were more charmed than alarmed by this display of untamed behavior. Both of us recognized it from our own, more free-range childhoods.

My only regret is that we were there at all, because each time we drew near, the kids either stopped what they were doing or stared defiantly at us to see if we would intervene. 

Wordle Wise

 Solved it in five:

Just a Little Bump in the Road

I made the mistake of checking the news when my phone woke me up at 2:30 last night, and I couldn't get back to sleep after that, no matter how many meditations and bedtime stories I listened to. The election results were crushingly disappointing: I really thought it was going to go the other way. 

As I lay there, I couldn't get that Batman movie quote about the hero Gotham needs versus the one it deserves out of my head. Which one is Batman? I wondered but didn't want to turn the phone on again. It turns out that Batman, incorruptible and strong, is the hero they deserve, but they need him to be a scapegoat and a villain. Yeah, it doesn't make much sense to me, either.

But what about America? Is Trump the president we need or the one we deserve right now? I think he's a deplorable character, but we elected him, so we deserve what we get. I sure don't think he's the guy we need for the job, but then, that's why I didn't vote for him. 

I read an article this morning that contained what I considered to be a bit of an understatement. The next four years are going to be rocky, it said.

I laughed, because we should be so lucky.