Today the rains came, temperatures dropped into sweater territory. Right on cue the curtain fell on summer. How does the cosmos know how to do that so precisely?
A pile of red tomatoes is heaped on my kitchen counter. Some are split from the rain and quickly saved into a slowly simmering sauce. The smell of that sauce is fall, the night comes along inky dark. My African music on Pandora radio comforts what is left of the day.
It is with great and earnest idealism that I find these days those in the public sphere who comport themselves with the greatest dignity and integrity are those with whom I align my allegiances. How about that for some 19th Century language? A tip-toe around the subject of politics, that dire and dangerous territory where my country is drawing the lines of divisive ideologies deeper, bolder, more dramatic every day.
How I miss the educated, idealist Kennedy types who used to hold more sway on the national stage. They had money, but they were also fiercely dedicated to causes which uplifted all, like the Peace Corps. This morning I was fortunate to have 3 emails from a young acquaintance who is just beginning his Peace Corps teaching assignment in Guana, Africa. Jakob writes of the images, the cultural differences, the food, the land, the kids, and the way his experiences are shaping him as a person. I find myself reading his words, being there in spirit, with a village of people living simply and being generous and respectful to the new American English teacher, who left the country where the streets are paved with gold, to live in a meager cabin with few amenities. Jakob is looking for the world, and he is finding it. John F. Kennedy began that program. How I miss him, and his brothers!
Later on I watch a video of Edward Kennedy's predecessor hammer on a Harvard Law professor who is running against him for the Senate seat in Massachusetts. This white, male WASPy cretin took the first 10 minutes of a televised debate to attack his opponent on the subject of her Native American heritage, and how he alleges she was hired only because of Affirmative Action to her Harvard position. Was he diverting, quickly and desperately, from any comment or connection to the pathetic and embarrassing candidate his own party is running for President of this "great land"?
I miss the Kennedy idealism, the football on the beach, the wind swept hair, the little kids everywhere, the great speeches with phrases like "Ask not, what your country can do for you...." The eloquence, the obvious culture and decorum, the humility, the humanity, the chiseled handsome looks which bespoke of outdoor pursuits, and an open mind.
I miss the years of my own youth where I believed in an evolving world, where education and civic duty would save us from ourselves. It is hard to be in this new world, not brave, but full of bravado. The seven deadly sins come back full force, despite The Bible being carried about like a gun.
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