Today I planned to attend the North Alabama Web Developer group meetup. The program was An Introduction to Elm. I particularly wanted to participate in the discussion about it that I expect went on before, during, and after the presentation. I rushed through my morning routine to get to work an hour early so that I could take time to attend the meeting and get in a full day’s work without having to work too late this evening.
I went out to my car to go to the meeting. I turned the key and was disappointed to hear the click, click, click that indicated that my battery had gone bad. By the time I could have gotten a new battery installed, the meeting would have been over. So I went back to work and arranged for a friend to give me a jump at quitting time.
I got a new battery on the way home. It wasn’t the way I planned for the day to go. But I adapted to the situation as it unfolded. I grabbed some lunch from the Food Truck Corral across the street from my office building. I got more work done than I usually manage to do in a typical day.
I am trying to age gracefully. I am trying not to be that old man that says “You kids get off of my lawn.” For the record, I don’t have a lawn. But I honestly think we have crossed the line into the realm of the distinctly surreal lately. I don’t know what bizarre thing is going to be on television when I get up tomorrow.
Last week the US president and the leader of North Korea were threatening each other with nuclear war. Then I got up on Saturday morning and there were Nazis marching in Charlottesville, Virginia.
I vowed not to use this blog as a political soap box but in this case we have gone beyond politics. This is not about Republican versus Democrat. It is about what do we do about our clinically crazy president. Even his own party doesn’t know. I am scared of what he might do in a knee jerk reaction to a petty attack that will have ramifications for all of us for the foreseeable future.
I don’t believe that any significant number of the members of the United States House of Representatives or the United States Senate are racists or bigots. I may not agree with their politics but I believe them to be decent American citizens. I can’t say that about our president with the same degree of confidence. We need to take action to preserve the reputation of our country and the integrity of our government. I trust our legislative branch will do the right thing in this regard. I hope to not be disappointed by them.
Sweet dreams, don’t forget to tell the ones you love that you love them, and most important of all, be kind.