In front of one screen or another, checking news and weather, playing Solitaire, looking at photo albums, sometimes reading a book. Other times, I just sit in a comfy chair by a window and gaze out, contemplating life, maybe trying to think of something constructive to do, or another topic for a blog post.
The Nose Knows
Daily writing prompt
Which food, when you eat it, instantly transports you to childhood?
Hmm… having trouble with this one. I’d say Spam, if I still ate that. Maybe it’s more of an olfactory experience. Certain meals– beef stew, for example– emit certain aromas while they’re cooking that take me way back.
No One Close
It has always been Abraham Lincoln, especially after reading Jon Meacham’s account of his life. Lincoln was the right person for the times, even if he did have his own issues. He was humble, smart, and courageous, unlike the current occupant taking up space in the White House, who is, in sharp contrast, a pompous dumbass.
Woe Is Us
Have we ever seen such amateurism in high office?
Trump is just a gossip girl who feels cool knowing that he’s got a scoop or two, possesses privileged information, resides in the inner circle of secret keeping, and he just can’t help himself. He likes toying with the public, boasting about knowing something most of us aren’t privy to, playing it like a reality TV show instead of considering his position and just keeping his mouth shut.
It might make one want to shout, “Grow up!,” but it’s probably too late for that.
Admired from afar
It was sometime during elementary school, maybe 4th or 5th grade. Her name was Pat. I can’t remember if I ever talked to her.
Doubt
How much damage has religious faith wrought on the world?
Besides being the height of irony, it’s also the saddest of commentaries—that bodies of belief with moral codes of conduct are also responsible for so much mayhem and ugliness and cruelty and endless vindictiveness, motivated by the central tenet of fearing a God who engenders dogmatism and orthodoxy, resulting in a bunch of us running around with our hair on fire and worried about displeasing a fickle deity who may or may not even exist.
Religious texts are commandeered for political purposes, shallowly embraced, conveniently and subjectively interpreted and utilized, and misunderstood. What would be different about the whole enterprise if scripture was freshly written today and a new story was told? There would likely still be gaps in witness and understanding, differences and varying contexts that lead to violence, because humans haven’t evolved all that much when it comes to self-preservation and the need to defend territory and opinions.
And maybe a new story couldn’t be told anyway, because enlightenment of a sort has come, and people wouldn’t fall for a story that conveniently fills any remaining gaps in understanding and knowledge, and sounds too good to be true.
If I had the chance
Japan, South Korea, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, the British Isles, especially Ireland, and the Scandinavian countries– Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. I’d love to see Machu Picchu, in Peru, along with that spot that has the expanse of shallow water that looks like a mirror and offers amazing views of the sky– Salar de Uyuni, in Bolivia.
And maybe Northern India or Nepal, where I could catch a glimpse of the Himalayas.
A Bumbling Figurehead
So, did Trump leave the G7 summit because he needed to return to DC to be present for urgent discussions re Israel and Iran, or was it because he felt unloved and unappreciated amidst all the leaders he’s alienated since taking office?
He picks his battles poorly sometimes, and pursues feckless, fruitless courses of action. Canada as the 51st state? Of course not. Greenland annexed? Of course not. Take over the Panama Canal? Doubtful. How much of what he bellows is mere distraction from something else he’s actually doing?
Stop being ridiculous, Donald. You’ve lost our trust, which, for many, you never had in the first place. You’re a paper tiger, hot air. And you’re making a gargantuan mess we may or may not be able to clean up.
He is the poster child for awfulness. What good is he, and what the hell is he doing in the Oval Office?!
Such a ray of sunshine
I’m already retired, but I wish it could have been with a bit more financial freedom, a bit more wiggle room, instead of looking forward to the end of the month each month. I guess we’re doing OK, in a relative way, but I look around at what other retirees are doing, and realize there’s no way we could do much of anything similar, or at least with such regularity and ease.
A bit of unsolicited advice to all who are still working: enjoy this life along the way, but have a financial plan for when your working days are over– so you can facilitate other hobbies and activities and be happily (and more selectively) occupied and engaged.
Or not… some days it’s looking like the future isn’t all that bright for any of us, so live while you can, and take care of each other.
Egomaniac
Between the weather and the circumstances, it maybe wasn’t the big celebration some were hoping for. It didn’t help to have a President who wanted to make it all about himself, who wanted to emulate North Korea with his very own birthday celebration, complete with hardware and thousands of troops marching by in review.
I’m not a fan of glorifying war, but the Army has been around for 250 years, and remembering the sacrifices of those who have served over the years seems appropriate. All the other hoopla in honor of a weak President’s birthday is beside the point, unnecessary, ridiculous, wasteful, embarrassing, and shameful, the opposite of Must See TV, whatever that is.
