My December to Remember: Day One
News: Trump chooses Kash Patel to lead FBI.
Trudeau promises more robust border protection with U.S. after meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
Joe Biden pardons Hunter Biden.
There was a mini High School reunion last night. I dragged my boyfriend to it. But it’s his fault, since he shouldn’t have told me it was even happening. Either way, he did his duties and went with me, and we ended up having a pretty nice time. There was only thirteen of us total (out of a class of 120+) but we made the most of it. Guinness certainly made him feel better, but that was obvious to me even before buying the first round.
Overall I had a pleasant experience getting to reconnect with some folks I hadn’t seen in years. I even got into conversations with people I’ve never said two words to. My drop off of Facebook six years ago really made an impact, as one of the first things a classmate said to me was, “Where in the world have you been?!” Still, we did all the usual niceties; How’ve you been, where you living, what’re you doing, are you married, kids, what’s next for you… It all ran the gamut, as did some other revelations I became inexorably privy to that night.
I was expecting small talk throughout the night, even after the beers were flowing. Instead, the heaviness of all we’ve been through in our formidable years seemed to follow us long into adulthood. Divorce. Death. Drug addiction. Custody agreements. Locked into a 2% mortgage while the current rates remain high. Malaise. Moving locations. Unemployment. Alcoholism. So many things I heard in a two-and-a-half hour period seemed as straightforward as anything, and it became clear there were lessons here to take away.
First off, I judge no one. I know everyone has issues they deal with, some more severe than others. It just felt significant that everyone I spoke with had no qualms about sharing all that’s truly going on. There was an ease to the sharing that I appreciated. I even partook in this, telling them about Mom, and my stories about New York City’s pandemic-era craziness. It was as honest as one could get about everything under the sun, and I wonder if the rest of the world can graduate into our level of forthrightness.
Now that we’re in this lame duck moment following the 2024 election results, it’s all about to click back over into the realm of the real. I told people last night how excited I am to chase this news cycle and report on actual news again. It’s just that right now, all we’ve got are the promises of transparency within the administration, and an idea to eliminate the doublespeak that’s only there to confuse, confound, and ultimately coerce us down the wrong path. We’ve been so used to not following along with the approved syllabus that we’ve treated every day like it’s substitute teacher day. But I’ve got to believe a new marking period of accountability is on the horizon, now that another principal is in town.
I’m glad I went last night and was able to still have a connection with my public school fellow pupils, even if our happenstance in being together was based on nothing more than district location. I can only hope our little microcosm of perspicacity fans out to the rest of the world, where we all get to see what’s really going on, and aren’t afraid to share it, either. It’ll be how we’ll know we’ve matriculated to the next level, even as we watch the theater unfold for at least four more years. Just give me something genuine in this classroom full of preps and posers and a sea of placidity awaits.
