Not Real Problem: Getting out of bed.
I woke up this morning in my 32 degree bedroom, which is perfect for sleeping when you're under a pile of heavy quilts, but not perfect for getting up. The other thing that makes it not perfect is the sock situation. They say you can't fully step into your future until you can imagine it. When I'm snuggled in bed, warm and cozy, all I can see in my future is shivering near the sock drawer because it's time to do laundry and I'm down to that one weird pair of polyester argyle socks that I bought at a creepy outlet store during a sock emergency (water over the rubber boots).
So I lie in bed, stuck, trying to imagine a bright future, and nothing comes. Trump, and all the scary shit that's going on in the world, and I'll have to face it in bad socks.
Real Problem: The most powerful job on the planet being turned over to an ugly orange narcissist (UON) with no sense of shame, an utter disregard for the truth, and complete lack of caring for anyone but himself.
Real Problem #2: Besides the sock thing, which I solved without Putin, an act of congress, or a defiant electoral college, how should we solve our real problems? What should ordinary, moderately informed, deeply concerned people do now? March? Write letters? Sign petitions? Piss directly downwind from one's self? Read poetry by Mark Strand? I believe that if we all start pulling in the exact same direction, something good will happen. Step #1: identify a coxswain.
I like your new regular feature. I suspect you will have many opportunities to deploy it in the coming months. You are asking all the questions I have been asking and I have no real answers, except to stand perpetually at the ready, which is exhausting but necessary, and definitely requires good socks.
ReplyDeleteYes. I know. I feel like if we could harness all this in one direction, we could do something! Meanwhile, socks on, at the ready....
DeleteThe solution to Real Problem? I got nothing.
ReplyDeleteSend money to orgs than know how to fight. Keep informed, which currently means knowing the newest outrage from the ugly orange narcissist, so I'm not sure that that is a good idea. I keep thinking there is an entity that we go to to say: This isn't right and this entity, (the Supreme Court? Jimmy Carter?) will fix it? I'm stumped.
I know exactly what you mean! Jimmy Carter! Yes. Let's knit him a cape and see if he has super powers in this situation....
DeleteSocks CAN be a real problem. I wear wool or wool blend for at least 9 months of the year. You can actually do something about that problem. The Real Problem is going to take all of us to fix and a while to do it. We can fix this gross misjudgement, hopefully before it fixes itself and takes the rest of us with it.
ReplyDelete100% wool socks, all the time. That's my motto. Meanwhile, I agree that it will take all of us to fix it, but how? What's to be done?
DeleteCheck out this article if you're interested in how Obama would answer your questions: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/11/28/obama-reckons-with-a-trump-presidency (Steve Reed from Shadows and Light posted the link yesterday on his blog) A long read but I was glad I did.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jennio! I'll read it when I get a chance.
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