Dear President Trump, Because it’s likely that Seattle isn’t the only city doing this for kids, you and I may be the only people in the US who didn’t know about the call to put Teddy bears in your front windows so that kids walking by can count them up and have something to do … Continue reading Could this nightmare actually be a gift to the future?
We can’t take to the streets
Dear President Trump, It might just be too early in the season, but I noticed this morning that although our rose bushes are leafing out mightily, they don’t have any aphids, which seems pretty weird. Don’t get me wrong, it’s super nice to see all those tender greenish yellowish leaves doing their thing without aphids … Continue reading We can’t take to the streets
Looking in, looking out
Dear President Trump, I know it’s just coincidence, but it rather looks like someone at the WP read yesterday’s letter about not losing sight of the people behind the covid-19 numbers since all four of those featured in the front page obituary section have their causes of death attributed to coronavirus (typically cause of death … Continue reading Looking in, looking out
Bearing witness beyond the numbers
Dear President Trump, Are you getting daily (sometimes it seems, hourly) reminders to take care of yourself in the midst of the covid-19 crisis? Maybe it’s a function of being in the mental health profession, but we really are getting at least daily reminders that we need take care of ourselves, that we need to … Continue reading Bearing witness beyond the numbers
April Fool’s Day and willful ignorance; a serendipitous pairing (of sorts)
Dear President Trump, When I woke up this morning I had no idea that it would make sense to address the topic of your willful ignorance on April Fool’s Day, but the universe is apparently doing it’s universe thing and here we are. Jennifer Rubin used the term “willful ignorance” in her WP editorial this … Continue reading April Fool’s Day and willful ignorance; a serendipitous pairing (of sorts)
POTUS and Putin share another playbook
Dear President Trump, This morning on my allowed walk for exercise, it occurred to me to wonder why we’ve not been hearing anything about covid-19 in Russia, as in zip, nada, radio silence. There are a lot of people in Russia, healthcare isn’t so hot in Russia, and, very importantly, Russia has the same winter … Continue reading POTUS and Putin share another playbook
I beg your pardon, but inequality is not a mere distraction
Dear President Trump, I have a hyper-local vignette and a bigger picture take for you for today. I’m not sure whether I’ve mentioned this before, but pre-you, Laura and I played Scrabble most weeknights. However, once you were installed as POTUS, it wasn’t until covid-19 slowed everything down and eliminated my commute time that it … Continue reading I beg your pardon, but inequality is not a mere distraction
This virus is a wake-up call that we can’t afford to sleep through
Dear President Trump, There’s a beautiful (very long) poem by Kristen Flyntz titled An Imagined Letter From Covid-19 to Humans that I got from a friend at church. I looked it up online and found that it appeared a little over a week ago and has been circulating on various social media sites. I’m including … Continue reading This virus is a wake-up call that we can’t afford to sleep through
Compassionate calm and calm compassion
Dear President Trump, Last week a friend of ours asked if we’d be up for doing a Zoom book club and Laura and I both signed on. We have only one copy of the book and it’s about mindfulness so I’m probably going to be the lone reader in our household. The book is by … Continue reading Compassionate calm and calm compassion
Some rules really are made to be followed
Dear President Trump, Although I’m careful not to stray too far outside the lines, I’ve never been much of a stickler for following rules, especially those I deem unnecessary or overly controlling. I realize that some people who know me would read this and laugh since I do still carry around a lot of “good … Continue reading Some rules really are made to be followed