Lately I’ve been thinking about my early years, growing up in a small town where most faces were familiar, and the homes in our neighborhood were called by the first surnames I heard as the owners when I was pre-teen. Even now when I go back to my home town, I think of the houses as belonging to those long-ago neighbors. Our family doctor lived on the corner on the opposite side of 4th Street N. His home, clinic, and small hospital were all in one building. I was born there. The doctor and his wife, also his nurse, were friends of our family. As with many small communities, there were few secrets and we children were welcomed anywhere we knocked on the door. We knew people’s church affiliations, pets’ names as well as children’s names. As youngsters we didn’t necessarily know political affiliations or much else that was really personal. Times were happy, peaceful, and friendly. I honestly didn’t know troubled, evil people could exist. Even childhood “bullies” were pretty tame – name-calling, teasing, ignoring someone for a while over an imagined slight. The government took care of the people. These were the late 40s and 50s with rationing of gasoline, sugar, and other commodities. We never felt the pressure of those difficult times. I credit the adults, especially our parents, for shielding us from the shortages. As a farm community, much bartering of goods and services was common. My dad, a dentist, was frequently paid with farm produce and the exchange of services with others.

As much as I miss my parents and their peers, I am glad they don’t have to try to understand and accept today’s political climate. Making sense of the behaviors of the “haves” and their apparent disregard for the needs of the less fortunate should not only be unnecessary, but the behavior is  heartless. We have friends who are living on social security. In this country of plenty, no one should be trying to raise a family  or live on a fixed income that is inadequate for paying bills, buying food, paying a mortgage, and being unprepared for a crisis or emergency.

We plan to join others in a protest on June 14th, the day of the president’s birthday parade of military might involving weapons, military personnel, tanks, and a display of U.S. destructive strength. It’s an embarrassment. The protest is called “No Kings.” That doesn’t begin to touch on my list of outrageous and destructive activities that have occurred. Even kings I’ve read about haven’t been so cruel and evil. We’ll do what we can to express our dismay. May the sheer magnitude of protests throughout the country  encourage Congress people to begin to fight back. That’s all that can put on the brakes. I’m very unhappy with the Now.