We Deserve

I don’t know why I feel compelled to read about Donald Trump everyday, but I do. Perhaps it is the same as driving past a car wreck and wondering just how something so awful happened. What were the drivers thinking or were they just not paying attention to what was going on around them. If we follow with the car analogy, then the American public under Obama were on an interstate in North Dakota driving 10MPH over the limit under a blue sky with the top down and found themselves suddenly in a downtown Chicago rush hour on a cold, miserable November day. 

I guess that I just don’t understand US politics. Hell, I don’t understand Canadian politics. I don’t know why anyone in their right mind would run for office in the first place. Hmmm…maybe I hit on it. None of the politicians are in their right minds. It could be money that drives them or it could be power, but one thing seems certain to me, it sure doesn’t seem to be the desire to make our world a better place.

I need to be careful when describing old Donny Trump, I wouldn’t want to be unfair to all of the asshats, thieving bastards and chunts in the world. Trump is the banana slug of the human world, looks slimy, disgusting and you certainly wouldn’t want one anywhere near you or the people you love. I wouldn’t want Trump near the people I hate.

So, here I am in the US of A and find myself at a loss. I want to talk to my American friends about their views of the Commander and Chief, but I don’t really know just how to approach the topic. Most will make ambiguous comments about the terrible political situation, but that doesn’t really tell me much and on which side of the fence they choose to sit on. The few conversations I have had go only so far and then just stop. My feeling is that they don’t agree with what is going, but there are some things that they can live with. Good economy?

I will just keep on thinking of the orange guy as a prime example of a fuck-tard and leave it at that. I have my own political problems. Two days from now there will be a provincial election and the party that I think have been doing a good job will more than likely be replaced with a bunch of right wing liars and cheats. In a few months the federal election may bring on a change from the current liberal government to the federal version of liars and cheats.

I guess that at the end of the day we get the government that we deserve. It is a sad commentary.

Uncle George

So, here I am in paradise sitting on the lanai watching a small triangle of blue, green ocean send smallish whitecaps to shore while the palm trees sway in the not insignificant breeze. Did I mention that the sky was so blue it almost hurts to look at it? I suppose that there is road noice, but the sound of the surf and the wind in the trees cover it up nicely. I have a good book in front of me, a cold drink beside me and I am trying to decide whether to swim first and then walk along the beach or should it be the other way around. Certainly one of those first world problems.

Life is pretty good!

This morning we attended a beachside ceremony commemorating the passing of a 94 year old Kahuna. By all accounts “Uncle George” was beloved by the paddling community and pretty much everyone that knew him. He gave people laughter and strength. A life well lived.

The paddlers (seven or eight boatloads of them) gathered in a large circle in the ocean while prayers were said and Uncle George’s ashes were given back to the sea in a ceremony that sends his spirit on to the next challenge. The Kahuna joked that knowing Uncle George, there was a better than average chance that he wouldn’t wait for his spirit and would let it catch up later. It was a nice way to say goodbye for all who loved and respected him.

I stayed on the beach with some of the other land-locked people and watched the proceedings from the shore. It was less emotional that way. One of the women that I talked to had missed her spot on the boat because she was packing up her house to prepare for a move to the state of Washington. She didn’t want to move particularily but since she was about to retire she would no longer be able to afford to live in paradise. She was putting on a brave face, but you could tell that the tears were there just below the surface.

I can’t help but feel for her. In a perfect world you should be able to retire in the place that you spent your working life and where you raised your family. Unfortunately, this happens all of the time. There is a retirement community in Ontario that is in the middle of nowhere, hours form any large retail centre but it is affordable. Some folks want to start a new adventure late in their lives and I say good for them. I am one of the very lucky ones, able to live a life I choose and not one that is chosen for me. I wish I could say I planned for this, but I just fell into a job that enabled me to prepare for my retirement. Thank my lucky stars!

I wished that woman well and I hope that life in Washington will be fun for her. She seemed to be the type who could make friends easily and she is young enough to deal with her new circumstances.