Skip to main content

 It's been a long couple of months, this week so far.

Know what I mean?

Election day in the time of pandemic. Election day in the time of a fractured country. Election day in the time of a president who openly courts only half of the country and claims "you're either with me or against me." According to Walter Issacson, the historian, “What we have lost is the sense that we are one nation, all in this together. Donald Trump is the first president in our history who has sought to divide us rather than unite us. We will heal once he leaves, but the scar will endure.” Election day when the arbiter of this election may once again be the Supreme Court if the Electoral College doesn't give the result the president wants.



I was struck this weekend by the essays in the New York Time, under the umbrella of "What We've Lost", in particular the one by Maureen Dowd, 'Sharknado Goes to Washington". She wrote "The most bizarre fact that sticks in my head is this: In 2015, Donald Trump was agonizing over whether to go for the role as the president in “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!” or to run for the actual presidency," she said. "How did we go from Abraham Lincoln to a “Sharknado” reject?"

I was so struck about much in this column and was inspired to write a response. I really didn't imagine it would be published, but it was and was then selected as one of the NYT Times Picks. I can tell you that this once aspiring journalist had a moment of awe that my byline, so to speak, was in the NYT!! If you're reading this, or have ever read my blog, my writing style isn't really NYT worthy. And it's just online, and it's just a response to an editorial. But still, it's my glass is half full take away from this week so far.

Here's what I wrote:


"Four years ago seems a lifetime. I had such hope and was filled with joy at the possibilities of the first female president. ‘At last, at last we’re equal at last’, I mused. 

Your reminiscences Ms. Dowd of mothers gathering their daughters, reminded me of that hope and promise. That morning after, one of shock, led to the realization that we had been complacent because the choice was so obvious (the most qualified candidate versus a reality tv star). That morning after also reminded us that a little thing like the Electoral College is the ultimate arbiter.

 So we marched in our pink hats and felt empowered and in my mind he wasn’t going to last. Certainly his nefarious dealings would lead to his ouster. I would wake up daily, saying ‘is he out yet?’. Like you, I have friends and family that are Trumpers largely because of their support for anti-choice and/or relaxation of tax codes and regulations on businesses. I have grown used to being the lone liberal in the room but prior to Trump we could still talk politics.

 It was never this divisive. I have been a positive thinker most of my life, even occasionally blogged as theglassishalf-full, but that sunny disposition has been mostly clouded over.

 And as I sit here this morning, my mindset is anxious and weary. I know I’m not alone. The dichotomy in mindsets, from four years ago, is truly a devastating picture of how much we have lost under Trump."

#nyt #maureendowd



Comments

Post a Comment

It's not a popularity contest, but ...

Friday Night Lights

Friday night lights were blazing last week - when for the first time in the history of our little town, the Saugatuck Indians clinched the district title! You can see the sheer joy on Matthew's face and the pride in his father's eyes in the picture above. Leading up to and during the game, there were several things that made the victory even more sweet. The first being that the sports writers in the area, to a person, all predicted the opponents, Climax-Scotts, to win. They'd had a perfect season - until Friday. The second was that we had to travel quite a distance (nearly 90 minutes) to get to the game. And the weather was frigid and snow was blowing - thankfully it was blowing towards the Climax-Scotts stands and was at our backs. And then our quarterback injured his shoulder and had to sit out for a good portion of the game. Thankfully, the replacement quarterback (a sophomore called up for the playoffs from the junior varsity team) did not let the stress effect his ...
3 comments
Read more

Vulnerability hangover

I recently blogged about my own #MeToo experiences and then went silent. (At least on the blog). Those posts have been read by over 1000 people, and that's a lot for this tiny little blog about living a life with MS and God and with a sense of humor. Suddenly, I felt like I was living in a world where people that read my blog had x-ray vision and could see my nakedness - but I didn't know who they were. It wasn't a good feeling. And then I heard someone discuss Brene Brown, in particular what she describes as a 'vulnerability hangover'. It's essentially the feeling of regret, like after a night of binge drinking, when you think "What did I do/say?" and then "I think I'll just hide out from the world." If you've never had that experience, kudos to you. It's shame, pure and simple, ugly and raw. So, now I'm on a Brene Brown binge, including all of her TED talks. Including this one on shame:  Brene, listening to shame ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Time

I have been reading through the blog entries for John's caringbridge site and am marveling that it was only a year ago we were on that awful cancer journey. In a way it seems like so much longer - especially when I look at the Patient Patient and see just how wonderfully handsome and healthy he looks! John still has periodic visits with the docs in A2 and prior to each we are both a little nervous that the docs might find something. He calls after each visit and we breathe a sigh of relief when the docs declare that all is clear! We know patients that went through treatment at the same time haven't received the same news; our concerns are grounded in reality and our sense of relief immense. In the past year, we have heard of far too many people that have received a diagnosis of cancer - prostrate, breast, throat, etc. While the type of cancer may be very different, the family's reaction and the ultimate course of treatment may vary greatly. The family and loved ones g...
Post a Comment
Read more