Tuesday morning, and the weather changes. Almost chilly. At least for the moment. I pulled out a hoodie for the first time in ages. Feels nice. One of those parts of life I didn't realize I liked so much. Putting a hoodie back on as summer starts to let Fall give us little sneak previews. I have a hunch we are going to need the little things even more in the coming months. Bad moon rising. Well, not bad moon. Bad mojo. Anger and Fear. Lies and Exaggerations. Accusations and Revelations. Not the Book of Revelations, though it does feel like it these days. So pull out those hoodies. Order your favorite tea. Watch that movie that keeps you going. Do whatever it takes, because we are not through the woods. We are in the thick of it. Cases rising in Europe. Unrest across the country. And this election is going to be nasty. Probably violent. And Election Day itself? I can easily imagine little skirmishes all over. Trump cultists insisting on a win, regardless of reality. We will need to be strong.
Not that we can't get through this. We will. It is going to be ugly, and there will be more and more difficult conversations. People we love, friends and family, will spout things that sound, and most likely are, insane. Things that will make the Flat Earthers sound almost reasonable by comparison. Things like "there are really less than ten thousands deaths from the virus"; "It's a worldwide conspiracy designed to get rid of Der Fuhrer... I mean the President!"; "Jar Jar was a great character"; and so on.
It is heartbreaking when people we love act foolishly. When they succumb to fear or greed or vanity. I think most of us assume those close to us will always do the right thing, see the world the way we do, and never break those unspoken bonds of love. But they do. Sadly, the longer I live, the more I see that happen. But, happily, I have also experienced first hand many times where out of troubled times comes love. Where when something that seemed flawed was addressed, those same friends or family who seemed to be in the wrong got it together and adjusted to reality. And of course, I've adjusted to that same reality myself. We all have the potential to be assholes. And we all go there from time to time.
I don't know if we will all make it out of this unscathed. I don't think every asshole will wise up.
But I do know we all gotta keep on trying. Reaching for the stars, for understanding, and for each others hand. In a socially distant, safe way. To tweak Burr's advice to Hamilton, if we talk more, smile more, things will get better.
So pull out that hoodie, put on your favorite song, and change the world.
Here's a song. It's Hey Ahab by Elton John & Leon Russell.
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