What I Learned in 2017

One of the blogs that I regularly read, Cup of Jo, had a post entitled  “What I learned in 2017” and reading it got me thinking about what I learned in this past year.  I’m not always able to separate the personal from the political and 2017 has often been difficult and disheartening.   So I’m not sad to see the backside of 2017, though I did learn some things:

1.  That I don’t need to try and understand Trump voters…..they aren’t complicated.  Though I believe they have a right to an opinion and to participate in our political system, I do not believe them to be people of good will.  In their ignorance, they supported a racist, sexist, self-absorbed, stupid man and we are all reaping the consequences of the danger he presents to the world, to our environment, and to our republic.

2.  That a tidy house is lovely.  In June, when the downstairs floors were refinished, the house had to be emptied out for the job.  As a result, everything downstairs got sorted and cleaned out.  When we moved back in, there was markedly less junk downstairs.  It’s been nice and I’ve kept up with it, which is even better.

3.  That getting ready to send my only child to college is exhilarating and terrifying ; that I will cry when he goes but that I’ve raised a good boy, one who is kind and hard-working; loyal and true.  Preparing for myself and my son to launch out of the nest is my 2018 challenge.

Any thought I had that Trump might be less than a disaster ended abruptly with his inaugural speech, which offered his dystopian view of our nation and scared the hell out of me.  I often say that I live in hope but 2017 has sometimes made it hard to find that hope.  Doug Jones' Alabama victory was a bright and sustaining moment and I’m working for a 2018 that features many, many more Alabama moments.