A Breath Of Fresh Air

"For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country." ~ Michelle Obama

I can think of no better way to say it.

Election Day From My Little Corner Of The World

Well, here we are. The day of reckoning. While no one has dared come right out and say it, all the commentary is leaning toward an Obama win. We are witnessing history of monumental proportions whether it be our first African American President or our first female Vice President. American politics is forever changed.

I've been doing a lot of reflecting this rainy election day. I've been thinking about the wonderful cadre of of ladies, who happen to blog, that I've been spending much of my time with over the past several months. They are a diverse group. Teachers, writers, artists, homemakers.

Most are near seniors or seniors like myself. Long time buddies like the Word Tosser , a local blogger who has been a long time friend, to A Piece of My Mind's Betty who keeps me up to date on Arkansas happenings. We think so much alike sometimes it's frightening!

I've met Sylvia from Over the Hill and Texas to Oregon . There is Margie's Musings and the most extra ordinary Just an Ordinary Gal. How could I not love one who blogs as My Sister was a Saint Bernard or Golden Years My a$$!

There is even the wonderful Rinkly Rimes who checks in from Australia, keeping me up to speed on how things work in Oz and what they're thinking about us.

This doesn't begin to give due to all the blogs I follow on a regular basis but it is the core group I've drawn from for peer opinion.

We've gone through this process together, giving one another encouragement when down, checking facts, sharing laughs. Many have gotten to the point of burn out and have taken to posting more family news or photos of the areas in which they live. All of that made it even more special for, to me, it's what this is all about. A slice of our country, our world, as seen through the eyes of those who live there. The family joys and woes and worries, the beauty of a neighborhood, a tree, a garden or a blossom. America. The beautiful.

It is said the young are the country's greatest asset. Maybe so. But these ladies and so many others like them are national treasures.

Collective Wisdom

One more day. Then it's all over except for the counts, recounts and challenges. Meanwhile, back on the campaign trail both sides are busy trying to keep the momentum among their followers at a fevered pitch. So are the partisan guests on the news shows. It has been interesting viewing.

I find it interesting how divided the nation is in a campaign that has promoted change and a united front. Not that it's unexpected. Each candidate has radically different approaches to the same problems. Hopefully the collective wisdom of the voters will be crystal clear. No more elections decided by the Supreme Court.

After the results are in and the complexion of the incoming Congress is revealed I will have something to say to them, especially the old war horses who have seemed distant from the Presidential side of things. The pronouncements made by Barney Frank and a number of others is bothersome. Are they deaf? But as I said, that's for an upcoming post.

I browsed some blogs this morning and found a couple of things of interest. One is how many are agonizing over the outcome. That's partially because there is no clear cut winner yet in sight paired with a desperate desire to see real change.

The other is how partisan and derogatory some of the posts remain. I've been watching the behavior of the members of Congress who are "safe" . I haven't paid nearly enough attention to the attitudes of the citizenry. Here I find many of us as guilty of the sins of partisanship to which we claim we want an end.

To have a preference and a strong one is good. I certainly do. But to have such vehement, scathing criticism of the opposition, at this point in time, is not constructive.

Obama has been claiming, on the economic level, that the trickle down theory doesn't work. That prosperity and change has to come from the bottom up. There is a broader point to be taken from this.

He, by the very nature of who he is and what he has accomplished, would seem to be the starting point for trickle down. He doesn't have the burden of his age nor his length of service to create questions about the sincerity of coming late to that mantra. However, I by no means believe, no matter his age and coming late to the "change" sound bite, that John McCain is any less sincere nor cognizant of the need for it.

To bring it full circle, however, it does have to start from the bottom. With us. We have to be willing to accept the outcome of this election and be willing to work with those we elect to achieve change or it will never happen. We are the ones who will have to shout, "Stop. Enough of the bickering. Get to the business of the people!"

Whoever wins will have the burden of leadership. No easy task. We will have the burden of keeping them on track. Again, no easy task; perhaps even the more difficult of the two. After all is said and done, if we lapse back into apathy, those who will take advantage will resurface and we will have gained nothing.

Two years of campaigning and millions upon millions of dollars spent. For what? Maybe there is some merit to the saying, "Lead, follow or get out of the way."

Never Too Old To Learn

As time ticks down to the election, I've been taking a good look at myself. What did I see? Someone I once would not have recognized as "me".

I've found that I can still feel passionately. I've also found a healthy dose of reality. Politics. I've never been so immersed nor vocal in my entire adult life. That I like Obama the man is no secret. That I still have doubts as to the outcome of the election is also no secret. That I do not agree with all the Obama/Democratic positions is no secret. I'm pretty much an open book.

I've found within myself the attribute of faith. Faith that my judgement is sound. Courage. The courage to bestow that faith on another individual. One that I have never met nor ever will.

Openness. By being open I've found openness in return. With that openness is the possibility of differing opinions. While I might not be persuaded by them, I've learned from them.

The comfort of common ground. Throughout this process I've met many new people on-line. Whether we will visit each others sites as often after the dust settles remains to be seen, but it has been gratifying to have found such a diverse group because of one area of common ground. As it binds us together as cyber pals, it will bind us together as a nation.

Age is no longer irrelevant. Be we young, first time voters or well seasoned seniors, all who have wanted a voice have found one. I have not received one dismissive comment.

It has been an exhilarating ride these past several months. It has proven to me something I've believed all along. Being old and out of touch is not an option.

Halloween Redux

Ah, the good old days. I'm going to lapse into my "I'm turning into my Mother" mode for some nostalgic memories. Halloween. It isn't what it used to be. Last night we had three trick or treaters, none of whom we knew. The first two came by car.

When I was growing up we lived in a neighborhood where everyone knew one another and holidays such as Halloween were embraced by all who called it home. One or two nights before Halloween the older kids were allowed to go "Halloweening". They'd creep through neighborhood yards to soap windows and create other types of harmless mayhem.

It was a time when stores were not filled to the brim with elaborate costumes. We made our own. I can remember my brother getting gussied up as a black faced Aunt Jemima before it was politically incorrect. It was a hoot.

Our house was about the halfway point on our street. We had a game room in the basement so we became the midpoint warming place. Dad and my brother, when he was too old for "trick or treating", would rig our long driveway with eerie lights and fog and weird noises. Finally, into the game room to be greeted with a fireplace to warm by, fresh donuts for a final burst of energy and hot cider to ward off the chill. Mom would be there handing out the goodies, oooing and ahhhing over the cleverness of the costumes and making an elaborate game of guessing who was hiding within.

I took over my brother's spot along side Dad when he moved on to more "adult" activities. We kept it up until I too was "too old" along with the rest of the kids my brother and I grew up with. Years later, when I was working in Pittsburgh, I'd still head for home to help hand out the goodies though by then it was at the front door to unknown youngsters.

I have so many memories of those growing up years and the events that made them special. One can say they were more simple times but on reflection I think not. The folks had the same worries parents have today. How to make the pay check stretch. Was there going to be enough money for college. Were taxes going to go up. The price of groceries. The very same issues we face today.

I yearn for those days though. The folks were resourceful and resilient and not given to complaining. My brother and I were loved and protected and given every opportunity we could have wanted.

That was the American Dream. What many of us have done or not done with it has become the American Nightmare. It is said one can't go home again. That may be true. We can however learn from the past and it doesn't have to be past mistakes. It can well be from wonderful, past memories.