Time Flew

The world was a very different place the last time I posted anything on this blog. Most importantly, my dad was still alive and in relatively decent health. He had a few of the scourges of old age like memory loss but there was no hint that in two years he would no longer be with us. I am an only child and the loss is profound, but there hasn't been much time to grieve because there are people he left behind who still need me. His brother lives in a dementia unit in a facility nearby and my mom, who lives six minutes away, needs a little help with finances, house maintenance and sometimes just companionship. They had the typical division of labor of many marriages that began in the 50's. She had no interest in the finances and he was happy to assume that role. So we have muddled our way through the year somehow without too many late charges or bounced checks. 

On the other end of life's continuum, the birth of my second grandchild has given our family something to celebrate. She and her older sister are precious beyond description, and that is a completely unbiased opinion.

Another highlight was celebrating my 60th birthday with ALL THREE of my sons in NYC this past summer. In the endlessly demanding days of their toddlerhood I would never have been able to imagine a day when gathering them all together in one place would be like the proverbial herding of cats, but turning sixty was my ace in the hole.  I love how well they get along and they let their mom be incredibly annoying with nary a grimace between them. I'm pretty sure I don't want to wait five more years to do it again!

Now in my recurring role of "Debbie Downer" there is no avoiding the yuge elephant in the room....the fact that Donald Trump was elected president. Even after a year I haven't been able to come to terms with that thought. I remember going to bed on election night pretty confident that Hillary would be our first female president and then awaking to the news. At first I was incredulous...numb. I couldn't watch any of the coverage on television. I cried off and on throughout the day. I even cried in the grocery store where many people in my conservative neck of the woods were unabashedly triumphant. Still, as bad as it seemed I clinged to the hope that Trump might actually try to drain the swamp or follow through on any number of things he promised would make America great, but only a year into his tenure he has shown that just when we think we've hit bottom he can dig the hole even deeper. If this were a screenplay instead of our reality, the superhero would swoop in, spin the earth backwards and all would be right with the world. Instead, it has been a year of harsh realities that threaten to crush our spirit. My only hope is that there are many good people out there who have been shocked out of their complacency. We need to pull EACH OTHER up by our bootstraps, lock arms, kneel, and whatever else it takes to show the world that we have the humility and strength of character to repair the damage. To a new year!