Well said….we are all between here and there. Scary future…..but we can only do what we can do. …vote as if it is all up to us and pray as if it is all up to God ( my teacher used to say that but replaced vote with study). We have to keep on keepin’ on. As HCR notes…we have been through hard times as a country before.
Moral strength and vision go a long way. Perspective, too. Still, I see this darkness descending all over the world, not just in our country....And it seems to be the revolt of the Global North against the encroaching Global South.
"For those of us in my age cohort, it is possible that we will spend our remaining time breathing the foul air of rancid populism run amok." Yes, that has been my main worry. You nailed it.
Those cultural norms have an awfully long shelf life. I'm finding it so meaningful to live in a place (Minnesota) where I'm comfortable but still unfamiliar, where there's a lot to learn.
Resurrecting William Dawson was no mean feat, Susie. His life and death are both no more and no less than ours. Chances are good he would have loved to spend some time in the Berkshires if he’d had the opportunity. Maybe he has, in a way, since you’ve brought him into the hearts and minds of your old friends reading this post. Speaking just for myself, last night I found myself face to face with a quarter-yen to join him and had to, chose to, rededicate myself to being here for the duration. Whatever timeframe that means!
Thanks again for your gifts as a word provocateur!
Makes you curious, doesn't it? About Dawson, about what's coming, the past and the future. But all we've got is now. We're here this Independence Day and that's a blessing.
So good! Although I've been living in my present location for nearly two decades, I'm still working at making new friends, which seems ever so much harder when we're older: people have grandchildren, parents, and often spouses they take care of, and so many commitments. But it's always worthwhile to try. Thank you for reminding us.
Thank you. It's been valuable to recalibrate expectations about new people. Just a short visit with someone whose heart touches mine can be so strengthening.
Susie, the poignancy of change the fears and the joys of it, the life and the death of it; as usual, you have hit a home run. I love your meandering through the personal to the communal and back again. thank you for your digging deep and sharing.
Thank you, Rachael. I owe a great debt of gratitude to whoever invented the personal essay. It's a very forgiving form and allows my meandering tendency to flourish.
Thank you, Lee. It's a very sensitive subject for me. As a child, I couldn't imagine what people did in those towns upstate. It's been a great source of growth for me to see a bigger picture.
Well said….we are all between here and there. Scary future…..but we can only do what we can do. …vote as if it is all up to us and pray as if it is all up to God ( my teacher used to say that but replaced vote with study). We have to keep on keepin’ on. As HCR notes…we have been through hard times as a country before.
Moral strength and vision go a long way. Perspective, too. Still, I see this darkness descending all over the world, not just in our country....And it seems to be the revolt of the Global North against the encroaching Global South.
"For those of us in my age cohort, it is possible that we will spend our remaining time breathing the foul air of rancid populism run amok." Yes, that has been my main worry. You nailed it.
It's different from being young and waiting for the axe to all....but it's all very painful.
Absolutely love that last paragraph—and closing by circling back to dead William.
Coming from a small city in central NY, I felt like a fish out of water in the Berkshires—as you say, NYC moves to the country🤣.
Those cultural norms have an awfully long shelf life. I'm finding it so meaningful to live in a place (Minnesota) where I'm comfortable but still unfamiliar, where there's a lot to learn.
Resurrecting William Dawson was no mean feat, Susie. His life and death are both no more and no less than ours. Chances are good he would have loved to spend some time in the Berkshires if he’d had the opportunity. Maybe he has, in a way, since you’ve brought him into the hearts and minds of your old friends reading this post. Speaking just for myself, last night I found myself face to face with a quarter-yen to join him and had to, chose to, rededicate myself to being here for the duration. Whatever timeframe that means!
Thanks again for your gifts as a word provocateur!
Makes you curious, doesn't it? About Dawson, about what's coming, the past and the future. But all we've got is now. We're here this Independence Day and that's a blessing.
So good! Although I've been living in my present location for nearly two decades, I'm still working at making new friends, which seems ever so much harder when we're older: people have grandchildren, parents, and often spouses they take care of, and so many commitments. But it's always worthwhile to try. Thank you for reminding us.
Thank you. It's been valuable to recalibrate expectations about new people. Just a short visit with someone whose heart touches mine can be so strengthening.
Susie, the poignancy of change the fears and the joys of it, the life and the death of it; as usual, you have hit a home run. I love your meandering through the personal to the communal and back again. thank you for your digging deep and sharing.
Thank you, Rachael. I owe a great debt of gratitude to whoever invented the personal essay. It's a very forgiving form and allows my meandering tendency to flourish.
Thank you for saying so beautifully what I know to be true as a confirmed ex-NYC-Berkshirite. And also for saying what is so universally true.
Thank you, Lee. It's a very sensitive subject for me. As a child, I couldn't imagine what people did in those towns upstate. It's been a great source of growth for me to see a bigger picture.
Ah, yes. Susie, you said so well what is in my heart .
Thank you for affirming my experience, Helen. Much appreciated.