If you read my last post titled "Why Romney Can't Win the Presidency and Still be a Good Mormon," you're fully aware that I do not feel that Mr. Romney can campaign, be the POTUS and still uphold the basic tenets of the Mormon faith.
A lot about Mr. Romney's political belief systems have come to light over the past couple of weeks with the RNC convention and his recent "secret" videos released, much to the Republican's dismay (and Democrat's glee).
Early Mormons (of whom Mitt is a direct descendant) practiced communalism (used or shared in common by everyone in a group). "In early Utah, Brigham Young continued to emphasize—even more earnestly, perhaps—community over the individual. 'I have heard Elders say they were not dependant upon any man,' President Young once chafed. This was a gross misunderstanding of the gospel, he explained, 'for I consider that we are all dependent one upon another for our exhalta-tion & that our interest is insperably connected.' http://www.patheos.com/blogs/peculiarpeople/2012/07/individualism-communalism-and-the-foreign-past-of-mormonism/
The Mormon church has been lauded as one of the most successful corporations in the world, a top-down, hierarchal, partriarchy with billions of dollars in assets, from property, business, amusement parks, etc. The Mormon church also does extensive philanthropic work, from the Bishop's Storehouse (a sort of in-house welfare system for those members unable to feed their families), to natural disaster relief all over the world. I have great admiration for the Mormon welfare system and have, as a child (and one of 7 children in a family that hit some rough financial patches) been the recipient of this beneficence (and may explain to this day why I hate fake potatoes, unsalted ketchup, and powdered milk).
In Businessweek magazine, an article titled "How the Mormons Make Money," the author writes “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints attends to the total needs of its members,” says Keith B. McMullin, who for 37 years served within the Mormon leadership and now heads a church-owned holding company, Deseret Management Corp. (DMC), an umbrella organization for many of the church’s for-profit businesses. “We look to not only the spiritual but also the temporal, and we believe that a person who is impoverished temporally cannot blossom spiritually.” http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-07-10/how-the-mormons-make-money
Over time, the Mormons moved from communalism to a more accepted economic model (perhaps when the Mormons had to give up polygamy to achieve statehood, or when they figured that doing business with Gentiles was just too darn good to pass by?), but when did the economic model and the economic values that nominee Romney espouses turn into unmitigated disdain for 47% of the American electorate? In his now infamous tape scandal of the past week, Mitt Romney, for once an animate life form, said this of the people he believes will not pay any income taxes (the 47% recently mentioned, you know, the elderly, veterans, working poor, single mothers, etc. that still pay payroll tax, but never mind, I digress), "...I'll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."
To a Mormon, all work is missionary work. Every encounter with someone of a different faith or lifestyle is an opportunity, cancel that, a responsibility of every believing Mormon, to share the truth of the gospel from their hearts. Unless you're the Republican candidate to be president of the United States at a $50,000 a plate fundraiser.
This is from the Doctrine and Covenants, a Mormon scripture written by Joseph Smith, said to come to the prophet directly from God:
For verily I say unto you, the time has come, and is now at hand; and behold, and lo, it must needs be that there be an organization of my people, in regulating and establishing the affairs of the storehouse for the poor of my people, both in this place and in the land of Zion.
For a permanent and everlasting establishment and order unto my church, to advance the cause, which ye have espoused, to the salvation of man, and to the glory of your Father who is in heaven;
That you may be equal in the bonds of heavenly things, yea, and earthly things also, for the obtaining of heavenly things.
For if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things.
Doctrine and Covenants 78:3-6
I added the bold. For fun.
See, this much touted Republican party line and its gutting of education, the arts, community works, ad nauseam and its Rand-esque leanings is completely at odds with what Mormons inherently believe about living in a society that shares responsibilities and helping people in a time of need. This marauding rampage through the middle class, Mitt Romney's political solution is indeed inherently opposed with scripture written by the founder of the Mormon church, a Mormon church that Romney regularly attends. That Romney pays 10% of his income to. That Romney supposedly BELIEVES in.
But here, I feel, is the great disappointment. The Mormons, who feel so out of step with mainstream society for their religious views (and are regularly labeled by evangelicals as non-Christians and cultish), their secret temples and sacred vows of secrecy, finally have their guy. MITT! He was a bishop! A stake president! A businessman! We love him!!!!!
Which can only lead me to conclude one of two things: either Mitt is simply a talking head for the people pulling the strings of American plutocracy, or he really decided he wanted to be president more than he wanted to go to the Celestial Kingdom. My bet is on the latter.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Why Romney Can't Win the Presidency and Still be a Good Mormon
The Mormons finally have their candidate for President! No Mormon has run since Joseph Smith in 1844, and members are basking in their "Mormon moment." There are many things to savor: the LDS church is making in-roads with their gay and lesbian brethren, staying out of gay marriage battles such as California's Prop 8, we are seeing more friendly journalism toward Mormonism in the New York Times and Religious Dispatches, openly gay men are serving in their bishopbrics, even BYU has done an "It Gets Better" video. It's almost as if Mormonism has joined the *gasp* mainstream.
As much as Mormons like being a little more accepted and understood at least culturally, I think that what Mormons abashedly like about themselves is that they ARE different. They hold their value system very high and it is an integral part of your upbringing in a Mormon household.
Part of what makes Mormonism unique is the Word of Wisdom. The Word of Wisdom has some guidelines in place for good health and it's pretty simple in its rules: don't smoke, don't drink, no coffee, no tea, don't eat too much, and eat mostly vegetables (very paraphrased, of course, but that's the idea). A few tenets of the Word of Wisdom are ignored regularly though, in fact John A. Widtsoe in 1930 said that refined flour was contrary to the Word of Wisdom. I don't know a single Mormon that didn't grow up on Wonder Bread and the boxed Mac & Cheese, so I suppose there is some wiggle room or everyone would have lost their temple recommends.
Wandering the city streets, I was wondering to myself what a Romney White House would be like. Would the White House dinners for Heads of State be alcohol free? Would they serve coffee with dessert? Would workers be allowed to smoke on the porch? What would Mitt do if say, the president of France brought him a bottle of wine as a gift, or the Spanish ambassador brought him a box of cigars? What would Romney do?
Here's what I think he'd do: I think he'd accept the gift and then sell it on Ebay or Craig's list, because everything about Romney seems to be up for negotiation.
Adherence to the Word of Wisdom is taken pretty seriously, with those who violate it, especially the big ones like smoking and drinking, held to disciplinary action by their lay-clergy, or bishop. Speaking of bishops, did I mention that Mitt Romney was both a bishop and a stake president? So if you were in Romney's ward and had a drinking/smoking problem, he would be the one to deny your temple recommend.
Unless you've been living under a rock and have never heard of Citizens United, the political game is changing this year and it's about unlimited funds and the Super Pac. For a look at what super pacs do in a way that can make the explanation un-snooze worthy, check out this link by my unbeknownst to him boyfriend, Stephen Colbert: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colbert_Super_PAC
One of those conservative super pacs is Restore Our Future. Renaissance Technologies http://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib.php?cmte=C00490045&cycle=2012 gave $1 million to them and their holdings include approximately a 1% stake in Lorillard, a tobacco company, and another nearly 1% in Philip Morris. Renaissance Technologies has over $23 billion in holdings (that's right, with a "b"), so though 1% may not seem like a lot, it is. That's a lot of money being made through their tobacco investments, investments made on the backs of one in five deaths caused by tobacco use. 443,000 people die per year from smoking. http://www.lung.org/finding-cures/our-research/trend-reports/Tobacco-Trend-Report.pdf
$1million may not seem like a lot of money in the political grand scheme of things but that'll buy a lot of cigarettes.
Now, let's move on to something super fun! It's called gambling and the Mormons don't approve. At all. The link below is what Mormons have to say about gambling. I'm paraphrasing here (you can read the link below for the full story), but they basically think it's of the devil, leads to illegal and destructive behavior, and have never supported it under any circumstances. Ever.
http://www.whatmormonsbelieve.org/mormons_gambling.html
Now, J. Willard Marriott is the CEO of Marriott International and a practicing Mormon. The Marriott corporation is a behemoth, with properties all over the world, including (upon a simple google search) casinos in St. Kitts, Aruba, San Juan, Curacao, and the mother land, Las Vegas.
The Marriott Corporation gave $1 million to Restore Our Future.
Sheldon Adelson is a casino owning billionaire. He pretty much single-handedly funded the failed Gingrich run for president. He has a LOT of money to spare and he REALLY doesn't want to pay taxes on it.
Adelson himself only donated $7.5 million to conservative super pac Winning Our Future, but his wife, under her own name and also under the name of Adelson Drug Clinic donated $12.5 million. That math, kids, totals $20 million. Conservative super pacs are outspending the liberal super pacs $114 million to $26 million (http://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/summ.php?cycle=2012&type=p&disp=O) to which one might ask, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?! During the course of my research, I saw that the conservative super pacs were being funded largely by oil, energy, refining, technology, real estate, and land development companies, whereas liberal ones were essentially in the business of preventing those companies from running rampant through the land and the economy.
I think Romney has a bit of a conundrum. Does he live by the spirit of the law, or the letter of the law? Does he sleep soundly at night, knowing that his run at the presidency is being paved in large part by gambling and tobacco interests, two industries completely and comprehensively at moral odds with the Mormon belief system?
As much as Mormons like being a little more accepted and understood at least culturally, I think that what Mormons abashedly like about themselves is that they ARE different. They hold their value system very high and it is an integral part of your upbringing in a Mormon household.
Part of what makes Mormonism unique is the Word of Wisdom. The Word of Wisdom has some guidelines in place for good health and it's pretty simple in its rules: don't smoke, don't drink, no coffee, no tea, don't eat too much, and eat mostly vegetables (very paraphrased, of course, but that's the idea). A few tenets of the Word of Wisdom are ignored regularly though, in fact John A. Widtsoe in 1930 said that refined flour was contrary to the Word of Wisdom. I don't know a single Mormon that didn't grow up on Wonder Bread and the boxed Mac & Cheese, so I suppose there is some wiggle room or everyone would have lost their temple recommends.
Wandering the city streets, I was wondering to myself what a Romney White House would be like. Would the White House dinners for Heads of State be alcohol free? Would they serve coffee with dessert? Would workers be allowed to smoke on the porch? What would Mitt do if say, the president of France brought him a bottle of wine as a gift, or the Spanish ambassador brought him a box of cigars? What would Romney do?
Here's what I think he'd do: I think he'd accept the gift and then sell it on Ebay or Craig's list, because everything about Romney seems to be up for negotiation.
Adherence to the Word of Wisdom is taken pretty seriously, with those who violate it, especially the big ones like smoking and drinking, held to disciplinary action by their lay-clergy, or bishop. Speaking of bishops, did I mention that Mitt Romney was both a bishop and a stake president? So if you were in Romney's ward and had a drinking/smoking problem, he would be the one to deny your temple recommend.
Unless you've been living under a rock and have never heard of Citizens United, the political game is changing this year and it's about unlimited funds and the Super Pac. For a look at what super pacs do in a way that can make the explanation un-snooze worthy, check out this link by my unbeknownst to him boyfriend, Stephen Colbert: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colbert_Super_PAC
One of those conservative super pacs is Restore Our Future. Renaissance Technologies http://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib.php?cmte=C00490045&cycle=2012 gave $1 million to them and their holdings include approximately a 1% stake in Lorillard, a tobacco company, and another nearly 1% in Philip Morris. Renaissance Technologies has over $23 billion in holdings (that's right, with a "b"), so though 1% may not seem like a lot, it is. That's a lot of money being made through their tobacco investments, investments made on the backs of one in five deaths caused by tobacco use. 443,000 people die per year from smoking. http://www.lung.org/finding-cures/our-research/trend-reports/Tobacco-Trend-Report.pdf
$1million may not seem like a lot of money in the political grand scheme of things but that'll buy a lot of cigarettes.
Now, let's move on to something super fun! It's called gambling and the Mormons don't approve. At all. The link below is what Mormons have to say about gambling. I'm paraphrasing here (you can read the link below for the full story), but they basically think it's of the devil, leads to illegal and destructive behavior, and have never supported it under any circumstances. Ever.
http://www.whatmormonsbelieve.org/mormons_gambling.html
Now, J. Willard Marriott is the CEO of Marriott International and a practicing Mormon. The Marriott corporation is a behemoth, with properties all over the world, including (upon a simple google search) casinos in St. Kitts, Aruba, San Juan, Curacao, and the mother land, Las Vegas.
The Marriott Corporation gave $1 million to Restore Our Future.
Sheldon Adelson is a casino owning billionaire. He pretty much single-handedly funded the failed Gingrich run for president. He has a LOT of money to spare and he REALLY doesn't want to pay taxes on it.
Adelson himself only donated $7.5 million to conservative super pac Winning Our Future, but his wife, under her own name and also under the name of Adelson Drug Clinic donated $12.5 million. That math, kids, totals $20 million. Conservative super pacs are outspending the liberal super pacs $114 million to $26 million (http://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/summ.php?cycle=2012&type=p&disp=O) to which one might ask, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?! During the course of my research, I saw that the conservative super pacs were being funded largely by oil, energy, refining, technology, real estate, and land development companies, whereas liberal ones were essentially in the business of preventing those companies from running rampant through the land and the economy.
I think Romney has a bit of a conundrum. Does he live by the spirit of the law, or the letter of the law? Does he sleep soundly at night, knowing that his run at the presidency is being paved in large part by gambling and tobacco interests, two industries completely and comprehensively at moral odds with the Mormon belief system?
Sunday, May 20, 2012
I'm Sorry, I Won't Do That Again
I confess. I've done it. I have walked down these New York City Streets and come upon a woman who was obese and wearing short shorts and a tube top. I have taken that surreptitious picture and sent it to my girlfriend, and we laughed over her bad fashion and lack of gym time. I have walked into stores and seen women whose rumps were so round that it looked like watermelons were stuffed in her jeans, and what did I do? Took a picture and sent it to my friend.
I actually feel a little queasy writing about this because it seems to me, upon examination, a great moral failing on my behalf. I am making myself sick thinking of the quickening of pace on the sidewalk to catch up with a girl wearing horrible shoes, an unfortunate dress, a clueless tourist with salon set hair, or a Jack Spratt type holding hands with his very large wife (in my not-so-defensible defense, I always delete the photos and never post them on the web. Never).
And it's always women (unless there's a man walking down the street wearing a leotard and stilettos or a man walking with a cat perched atop his head).
There have been several things in the past few months that have really brought these thoughts to the forefront. The first was Ashlee Judd's beautifully articulate and powerful letter to the media chastising them for calling her old and puffy in her television series (I blogged about it, just look a few entries down). There have been several legislative actions unfolding that are seeking to take away a women's right to contraception, which in turn greatly effects her ability to family plan, which effects her long term wages and the income of her family.
Then there was the Time Magazine cover that featured the words "Are You Mom Enough?" and a picture of a very attractive woman breastfeeding her three year old son. Here is the link to more pictures of women breastfeeding older children. http://lightbox.time.com/2012/05/10/parenting/?iid=lb-gal-viewagn#1
When this magazine came in the office mail, I was intrigued and admittedly, a little repulsed. Here it was, a sensationalized, almost prurient picture of a beautiful woman with a little boy at her breast, and then it made me angry. Angry at whoever put that picture on the cover and angry at whoever put the crazy-eyed Michelle Bachmann on the cover of Newsweek.
Later that week I was at book club with four of the brightest girls you could hope to meet, and the topic of the cover came up. I am the first to admit that sometimes our line of conversation wanders a bit, but we ended up on the topic of what makes a woman successful. One girl told the story of someone she went to high school with whose only goal in life was to marry her high school boyfriend and have his babies. My friend said that she is one of the happiest people she knows. Some in the group argued that this woman was delusional, that there was no possible way she could be happy, she simply didn't know any better, didn't know that there was a great big world out there for the taking.
As I sat with them in the settling dusk on 75th Street at an outdoor cafe, I thought to myself, "This kind of conversation among us isn't going to help." Women, for the same job at the same level, make about .75 cents on the dollar that a man does. Women are having to, in some states, undergo unnecessary medical procedures in order to have an abortion which, in case you forgot Roe vs. Wade, is legal. Yet we far outpace men in Bachelors and Masters Degrees, we make up more of the total workforce. If every woman in America didn't show up to work, things would grind to a halt.
We have power. Yet cultural and social norms tell us to be nurturing, to ask permission, to be gentle and have a reserved opinion. They tell us to not claim our power. They tell us to ask for it with a "pretty pretty please."
I know we can claim it, but there are a few things that have to stop: Judging each other's choices, creating snide commentary about those who wear what you might consider bad clothing, bad hair-dos, being overweight or obese, and judging their bigger life choices, such as breastfeeding, marrying their high-school boyfriend, being a stay-at-home mom, or on the other side of this equation, judging women who choose to delay childbirth and rearing, those who choose to work, those who choose to simply not marry. Just because a woman is not married does not make her a hag, just because she has "feminist" beliefs does not make her a bitch, just because she has five kids and wears sweatpants all day does not make her a baby pushing doormat.
Let's listen with compassion and an open mind to each other's stories, THEN make decisions about character.
I saw this on a friend's facebook page. This is part of the problem, this stereotyping of ourselves. Don't let men, other women, or politicians define you. You define you.
How do you feel about this poster? For me, it's up there with "Gol, why do you have to be so PMS-y! Sheesh."
I actually feel a little queasy writing about this because it seems to me, upon examination, a great moral failing on my behalf. I am making myself sick thinking of the quickening of pace on the sidewalk to catch up with a girl wearing horrible shoes, an unfortunate dress, a clueless tourist with salon set hair, or a Jack Spratt type holding hands with his very large wife (in my not-so-defensible defense, I always delete the photos and never post them on the web. Never).
And it's always women (unless there's a man walking down the street wearing a leotard and stilettos or a man walking with a cat perched atop his head).
There have been several things in the past few months that have really brought these thoughts to the forefront. The first was Ashlee Judd's beautifully articulate and powerful letter to the media chastising them for calling her old and puffy in her television series (I blogged about it, just look a few entries down). There have been several legislative actions unfolding that are seeking to take away a women's right to contraception, which in turn greatly effects her ability to family plan, which effects her long term wages and the income of her family.
Then there was the Time Magazine cover that featured the words "Are You Mom Enough?" and a picture of a very attractive woman breastfeeding her three year old son. Here is the link to more pictures of women breastfeeding older children. http://lightbox.time.com/2012/05/10/parenting/?iid=lb-gal-viewagn#1
When this magazine came in the office mail, I was intrigued and admittedly, a little repulsed. Here it was, a sensationalized, almost prurient picture of a beautiful woman with a little boy at her breast, and then it made me angry. Angry at whoever put that picture on the cover and angry at whoever put the crazy-eyed Michelle Bachmann on the cover of Newsweek.
Later that week I was at book club with four of the brightest girls you could hope to meet, and the topic of the cover came up. I am the first to admit that sometimes our line of conversation wanders a bit, but we ended up on the topic of what makes a woman successful. One girl told the story of someone she went to high school with whose only goal in life was to marry her high school boyfriend and have his babies. My friend said that she is one of the happiest people she knows. Some in the group argued that this woman was delusional, that there was no possible way she could be happy, she simply didn't know any better, didn't know that there was a great big world out there for the taking.
As I sat with them in the settling dusk on 75th Street at an outdoor cafe, I thought to myself, "This kind of conversation among us isn't going to help." Women, for the same job at the same level, make about .75 cents on the dollar that a man does. Women are having to, in some states, undergo unnecessary medical procedures in order to have an abortion which, in case you forgot Roe vs. Wade, is legal. Yet we far outpace men in Bachelors and Masters Degrees, we make up more of the total workforce. If every woman in America didn't show up to work, things would grind to a halt.
We have power. Yet cultural and social norms tell us to be nurturing, to ask permission, to be gentle and have a reserved opinion. They tell us to not claim our power. They tell us to ask for it with a "pretty pretty please."
I know we can claim it, but there are a few things that have to stop: Judging each other's choices, creating snide commentary about those who wear what you might consider bad clothing, bad hair-dos, being overweight or obese, and judging their bigger life choices, such as breastfeeding, marrying their high-school boyfriend, being a stay-at-home mom, or on the other side of this equation, judging women who choose to delay childbirth and rearing, those who choose to work, those who choose to simply not marry. Just because a woman is not married does not make her a hag, just because she has "feminist" beliefs does not make her a bitch, just because she has five kids and wears sweatpants all day does not make her a baby pushing doormat.
Let's listen with compassion and an open mind to each other's stories, THEN make decisions about character.
I saw this on a friend's facebook page. This is part of the problem, this stereotyping of ourselves. Don't let men, other women, or politicians define you. You define you.
How do you feel about this poster? For me, it's up there with "Gol, why do you have to be so PMS-y! Sheesh."
Thursday, April 26, 2012
I'm Baaaaaa-aaaaacccckkkk! Friday Fiction! Ish...
After a week hiatus, I am back to the blog, and for this entry I am going to keep it simple. It's Fiction Friday everyone, and as I was walking through the chaos of the city streets, instead of paying attention to where I was going I was thinking of my favorite books.
I apologize in advance for not REALLY keeping these to fiction. But they are great books and ones I think that everyone should read:
In no particular order:
Refuge, by Terry Tempest Williams
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
Marking the Sparrow's Fall by Wallace Stegner
Upon examining this list is there is only one female author, and she writes non-fiction. Is it that I am more attracted to so-called "masculine writers" or that I am more interested in a "male" style of writing? Are there specific styles that lend themselves to masculine and feminine voices in literature?
What do you think? Who would be on your list?
I apologize in advance for not REALLY keeping these to fiction. But they are great books and ones I think that everyone should read:
In no particular order:
Refuge, by Terry Tempest Williams
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
Marking the Sparrow's Fall by Wallace Stegner
Upon examining this list is there is only one female author, and she writes non-fiction. Is it that I am more attracted to so-called "masculine writers" or that I am more interested in a "male" style of writing? Are there specific styles that lend themselves to masculine and feminine voices in literature?
What do you think? Who would be on your list?
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Thankful Thursday
Today I hiked in Pine Valley in the southwest corner of Utah. The image is from the Forsyth canyon trail.
I got lost. About 3/4 of the way down, I realized that the creek I had been following was on the wrong side of me. I came to the clearing and instead of the dirt lot I had parked the rental car, I was in a clearing of scrub. Brittle, scratchy scrub.
I am now lying in a cozy condo in Park City and blogging about it, so I obviously found my way, but I am thankful, honestly, that I'm not hunkered down under a log shivering through a freezing night.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Wilderness Wednesday
This is where I hope to be today for Wilderness Wednesday. Eagle's Crag, in Rockville, UT, just south of the Zion National Park entrance. It's a short hike, only 5 miles round trip, but I wanted to acclimate to the altitude with something short in a beautiful place.
See, I'm headed to Utah today via Las Vegas to do some hiking, see some friends, and recharge my batteries.
New York City can be depleting. I have wonderful friends here. There are beautiful parks. But you know what I can't find in New York City? Solitude. Alone-ness. Quiet.
I'm a Gemini with monkey mind and a somewhat insatiably curious nature, so it helps me to take myself hiking and quite literally, like a small child, wear myself out.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Tea for Tuesday
There are some things in this world I simply don't understand in the I-can't-possibly-wrap-my-brain-around-this-kind-of-cruelty-horror-ignorance-etc. way. Like the Holocaust. Or child molesters. Mass murderers and purveyors of homophobia, xenophobia, and people like Assad in Syria murdering his own people so he can stay in his own diabolical dictatorship. You know who else I would add to this list? The Tea Party.
Now, they don't exactly fit under the "cruelty and horror" heading I had listed above, but for me, where they really do fit, as a party platform, is under the heading of ignorance.
I am sure there are tons of really nice Tea Partiers who bake cookies and say nice things about gay people and may even have rational conversations with those who oppose their views. But then I read this:
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/04/16/anti-gay-tea-party-speaker-screams-at-lgbt-protesters-we-will-not-be-silenced-by-faggots/
"Scott Lively is an anti-gay hate merchant who is known as a “professional worldwide hunter of homosexuals and top proponent of ‘gay cure’” as well as a supporter of Uganda’s ‘kill gays’ legislation. So it wasn’t very surprising that Lively was allowed to be a speaker at a Tea Party Tax Day rally in Boston, Massachusetts on Sunday. It also wasn’t a surprise that LGBT protesters would hold a counter rally against the hatred."
That's just the first paragraph of the article, here are paragraphs two and three.
Now, they don't exactly fit under the "cruelty and horror" heading I had listed above, but for me, where they really do fit, as a party platform, is under the heading of ignorance.
I am sure there are tons of really nice Tea Partiers who bake cookies and say nice things about gay people and may even have rational conversations with those who oppose their views. But then I read this:
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/04/16/anti-gay-tea-party-speaker-screams-at-lgbt-protesters-we-will-not-be-silenced-by-faggots/
"Scott Lively is an anti-gay hate merchant who is known as a “professional worldwide hunter of homosexuals and top proponent of ‘gay cure’” as well as a supporter of Uganda’s ‘kill gays’ legislation. So it wasn’t very surprising that Lively was allowed to be a speaker at a Tea Party Tax Day rally in Boston, Massachusetts on Sunday. It also wasn’t a surprise that LGBT protesters would hold a counter rally against the hatred."
That's just the first paragraph of the article, here are paragraphs two and three.
“Reports from attendees were that in response to disturbances by protestors, one of the speakers said from the podium, broadcast across the loud speakers at the Commons, “We will not be silenced by faggots.”
"Police then arrived and forcibly broke up the LGBT demonstrators and left the Tea Party alone. The Boston Police Department is now investigating reports that officers used excessive force while breaking up the LGBT counter rally."
I won't say that every individual in the Tea Party espouses this kind of hatred because I don't believe that every Republican is a money grubber and every Democrat a tree hugger. But I do believe that there are common threads that hold the tapestry together, and well, if your tapestry includes treating others as the Tea Party does I'll give them a big pass and remind them that there are people of consciousness in this world who can deal with people who oppose them without using ignorant epithets.
I'll close with this:
“You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.”
― Harlan Ellison
― Harlan Ellison
Monday Musings
I'm sitting here at the desk in my room, tossing from hand to hand a rubber purple ball with sparkly liquid inside. $5 at Borders before it went away and over the chatter of animated male voices, I can hear the little ocean inside the ball make that "slish" sound as I catch it.
Today is Monday Musings and there are many things that I am musing, mostly what to write for Monday.
See, I fear that I could become insufferable in my tendency to vent my liberal political leanings, that I could alienate family and friends by speaking of Mormons, that I could bore you all with my need to wax poetic about trees and sunsets and moons.
So I muse the world inside the ball; I tilt my head and listen to the boys in the living room; I make note of my headache and try to make plans that seem obstructed my inability to know what the future brings, I smell the lotion on my hands as I bring my hand to my face and feel the little dog by my feet.
Musing with inaction, or rather, creating a plan for action later.
Today is Monday Musings and there are many things that I am musing, mostly what to write for Monday.
See, I fear that I could become insufferable in my tendency to vent my liberal political leanings, that I could alienate family and friends by speaking of Mormons, that I could bore you all with my need to wax poetic about trees and sunsets and moons.
So I muse the world inside the ball; I tilt my head and listen to the boys in the living room; I make note of my headache and try to make plans that seem obstructed my inability to know what the future brings, I smell the lotion on my hands as I bring my hand to my face and feel the little dog by my feet.
Musing with inaction, or rather, creating a plan for action later.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Friday Fiction
As many of you know, I'm in a book club. We've been reading together going on six years (I think) and we have read probably over a hundred books. Though to accommodate one another's tastes, I have been forced to read books I would never have picked up of my own accord: Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte), A Visit from the Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan), The Stories of John Cheever (by, remarkably, John Cheever), Catch-22 (Joseph Heller), Pilgrim at Tinker's Creek (Annie Dillard, and, by the way, one of the worst books EVER), One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez), A Knight in Shining Armor (by Jude Deveraux of the "heaving bosoms" genre), Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell) and American Psycho (by Bret Easton Ellis, though I will confess, I LOVED it. It's sick and misogynistic but completely fascinating). That's a terribly small and unjust sampling.
We met a couple of weeks ago over brunch on the Upper East Side at The Chat Noir to have some food and conversation. At the end of our meandering discussion of the book and whatever side trails we find the conversation leads us, we pick a book. All the Iphones/blackberries/androids come out of purses and pockets as we scroll through the best seller lists, look up author names, and think of subjects that we want to explore. Then we reach a consensus and voila! Another book or two is chosen and we wander into miasmic Manhattan.
They picked my book. And while I feel safe saying that my book club compatriots consider me well-read, they're not necessarily thrilled about my ideas because they usually have to do with hiking, nature, or messed up people doing stupid things. So I was very excited when they all agreed to read Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner.
I adore Wallace Stegner. His fiction is certainly noteworthy but I am more a fan of his essays on conservation in the American West. My favorite book of his is Marking the Sparrow's Fall. Stegner grew up all over the west as part of a restless, homesteading family, but he found himself living his teen years in Salt Lake City and chose to call Salt Lake City his home, though he taught at Stanford (where he met Edward Abbey, one of my favorite authors) and in the east (though I can't remember where).
His love of Salt Lake City is not the reason I adore Stegner, though it may factor unconsciously into my adoration. He sees people. There is an excitement that rises in me when I read a poignant passage and my heart starts to swell because I know the truth of it. And that's how Stegner makes me feel.
This is the passage that brought me to tears the other night (just read the book to get the context):
"The vision of her floundering in the wake of the concentrated helpers and their feeble charge turned my distress into outrage. Not at any of the helpers, not at Charity's willfulness, not at the solidarity of women collaborating in what only they could do as well, while excluding male intrusions. No, at it, at fate, at the miserable failure of the law of nature to conform to the dream of man: at what living had done to the woman my life was fused with, what her life had been and was. What she had missed, how much been kept from her, how little her potential had been realized, how hampered were her affection and willingness and warmth. The sight of her burned my eyes."
It doesn't matter if this doesn't touch your soul, there are many other passages in many other books that may do just that.
We met a couple of weeks ago over brunch on the Upper East Side at The Chat Noir to have some food and conversation. At the end of our meandering discussion of the book and whatever side trails we find the conversation leads us, we pick a book. All the Iphones/blackberries/androids come out of purses and pockets as we scroll through the best seller lists, look up author names, and think of subjects that we want to explore. Then we reach a consensus and voila! Another book or two is chosen and we wander into miasmic Manhattan.
They picked my book. And while I feel safe saying that my book club compatriots consider me well-read, they're not necessarily thrilled about my ideas because they usually have to do with hiking, nature, or messed up people doing stupid things. So I was very excited when they all agreed to read Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner.
I adore Wallace Stegner. His fiction is certainly noteworthy but I am more a fan of his essays on conservation in the American West. My favorite book of his is Marking the Sparrow's Fall. Stegner grew up all over the west as part of a restless, homesteading family, but he found himself living his teen years in Salt Lake City and chose to call Salt Lake City his home, though he taught at Stanford (where he met Edward Abbey, one of my favorite authors) and in the east (though I can't remember where).
His love of Salt Lake City is not the reason I adore Stegner, though it may factor unconsciously into my adoration. He sees people. There is an excitement that rises in me when I read a poignant passage and my heart starts to swell because I know the truth of it. And that's how Stegner makes me feel.
This is the passage that brought me to tears the other night (just read the book to get the context):
"The vision of her floundering in the wake of the concentrated helpers and their feeble charge turned my distress into outrage. Not at any of the helpers, not at Charity's willfulness, not at the solidarity of women collaborating in what only they could do as well, while excluding male intrusions. No, at it, at fate, at the miserable failure of the law of nature to conform to the dream of man: at what living had done to the woman my life was fused with, what her life had been and was. What she had missed, how much been kept from her, how little her potential had been realized, how hampered were her affection and willingness and warmth. The sight of her burned my eyes."
It doesn't matter if this doesn't touch your soul, there are many other passages in many other books that may do just that.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Thankful Thursday
Well, I have 58 minutes to get in my thoughts for Thankful Thursday, and it's going to be short and sweet.
To begin:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ann-romney-defends-role-as-stay-at-home-mom-after-democratic-pundits-remarks/2012/04/12/gIQACeopDT_story.html
In case you're not aware, today the news is all abuzz with word that Hilary Rosen, a democratic strategist, essentially said that Anne Romney cannot with any veracity comment on the plight of women worrying about the economy because she has never worked a day in her life.
That may be true, as in, Anne Romney has never held a job in her adult life. Mittens, I'm sure, has made it financially feasible for Anne to be a stay-at-home mom, which, let's not joke around here, is incredibly hard work. I once read something a long time ago that said if stay-at-home moms were compensated for their hours, they'd make somewhere in the neighborhood of $250,000 a year. Anne Romney has a gaggle of children, albeit grown. I will never fault any woman for choosing to stay at home if she is financially capable of doing so and chooses to.
First world worries.
While in Africa, millions of girls have to worry about this:
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2313097.html
The link is an article to female circumcision, aka genital mutilation. You read that right. Most often performed by their mothers with whatever sharp implement happens to be laying around.
If you'd like to move to Iran and decide your marriage is no longer working, you can look forward to this:
http://www.iran-e-azad.org/stoning/women.html
Stoning. In the 21st century.
So, I'm thankful that today, this is what we in America are all worked up about. But let's not take our eye off the ball. There are bigger things to worry about.
To begin:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ann-romney-defends-role-as-stay-at-home-mom-after-democratic-pundits-remarks/2012/04/12/gIQACeopDT_story.html
In case you're not aware, today the news is all abuzz with word that Hilary Rosen, a democratic strategist, essentially said that Anne Romney cannot with any veracity comment on the plight of women worrying about the economy because she has never worked a day in her life.
That may be true, as in, Anne Romney has never held a job in her adult life. Mittens, I'm sure, has made it financially feasible for Anne to be a stay-at-home mom, which, let's not joke around here, is incredibly hard work. I once read something a long time ago that said if stay-at-home moms were compensated for their hours, they'd make somewhere in the neighborhood of $250,000 a year. Anne Romney has a gaggle of children, albeit grown. I will never fault any woman for choosing to stay at home if she is financially capable of doing so and chooses to.
First world worries.
While in Africa, millions of girls have to worry about this:
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2313097.html
The link is an article to female circumcision, aka genital mutilation. You read that right. Most often performed by their mothers with whatever sharp implement happens to be laying around.
If you'd like to move to Iran and decide your marriage is no longer working, you can look forward to this:
http://www.iran-e-azad.org/stoning/women.html
Stoning. In the 21st century.
So, I'm thankful that today, this is what we in America are all worked up about. But let's not take our eye off the ball. There are bigger things to worry about.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Wilderness Wednesday
This was the view from my front yard growing up. Well, actually, you have to go a little west and north, as this is the view from Mt. Ben Lomond from the east, but this was the mountain looming over me. She is 9712 feet above sea level and when you get to the top, about 8.2 miles from the North Ogden divide, you will have a 360 view of Northern Utah; Willard Bay and the Great Salt Lake to the west, Willard Peak to the North and East, and the city of Ogden and all points visible south.
I was one time at the top of this peak, with a girl and her brother who lived in the neighborhood (if you can call those long, Utah blocks "in the neighborhood."). She lived around the "corner" (again, a phrase I use loosely because it was probably a half mile walk) and she had horses. One summer day, moving toward late afternoon, he suggested we ride their horses to the top and back. I wish I remember this girl's name. But she was fascinating to me with her long blonde pigtail braids, cut off jean shorts and her flannel shirted brother. She seemed like a real cowgirl and I, not that far removed from my early childhood in southern California, was enthralled. I knew nothing about horses or hiking but I wanted to be prove my cowgirl mettle, and in the dust of late afternoon, headed up the mountainside.
We did make it to the top, but I remember nothing about being there. I remember, however, being terrified the whole time, especially coming down. I was sharing the saddle with the girl and the horse, and the distance between my elevated self on the horse and the ground suddenly became magnified as the horse walked precariously downward. The trails were suddenly too narrow, the specter of falling off the back of the horse, the horse getting spooked and bucking us off loomed large as I imagined tumbling down 200 feet of rock face to my certain death.
We made it back just as the sun descended beyond the Great Salt Lake, and I resolved to myself that I would never, never, ride a horse for hiking ever again. I have been true to my word (though for more complicated reasons other than just not liking that particular experience), but I have not been back to the top of that peak. The trailhead is about a fifteen minute drive from my parent's house, and well, it's time. If I start early, I can do 16 miles in a day. I did 17miles in a river (I'll tell you about that hike later). Mark my words, all, this peak will be hiked!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Stand Tall Tuesday
This is Ashley Judd. Ashley, at first glance, is the daughter of Naomi Judd, sister of Wynona, and a very successful actress in her own right. She also happens to be very smart, having graduated with a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. She has given her time to innumerable philanthropic projects, including Defenders of Wildlife, Equality, Eracism, and the International Research Center on Women.
But you know what people want to talk about? They want to tear her apart for looking "puffy" on her new television show.
"But, the actress writes, the conversation is really a misogynistic assault on all women." The article in its entirety is below.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/09/ashley-judd-slaps-media-in-the-face-for-speculation-over-her-puffy-appearance.html
This is a reflection of a larger problem that is happening in our society, and without going into it too deeply, I will simply say that there is a larger denigration of women happening right now, with men going on about how Jessica Simpson, who is in the last months of her pregnancy is fat, how remarkably beautiful and smashingly bodied Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz at the Oscars were "long in the teeth." Now we have lawmakers working very steadily at stealing reproductive rights that women have legally had since 1973, quietly signing laws that take away women's equal pay, etc.
Please read the above article, everybody.
I am in a business that regularly castigates women for not being thin enough, young enough, pretty enough, and fill in whichever "enough" strikes you personally. And last but not least, know that you are "enough" of everything.
Sunday, April 08, 2012
Monday Musings
This is a painting by Utah artist Jon McNaughton. He came to my attention a few months ago, when I saw his work, "One Nation Under Socialism" below:
Initially, I was completely furious that I was being bashed over the head by his didactic, screaming, heavy artist's hand. Then I was livid that he was telling me what to believe with his paintings.
As you can see, they leave little to the imagination. The painting below is by Arnold Friberg, also a member of the Mormon Church. If you have been to the visitor's center at Temple Square, you will see many of his paintings depicting scenes from the Book of Mormon.
I listened to a podcast on Radio West (http://radiowest.kuer.org/post/32912-art-politics-and-paintings-jon-mcnaughton) featuring McNaughton and I was prepared as I started to really him. But I couldn't. It turns out he's a level-headed guy. His speech isn't full of hateful vitriol as one would assume from his paintings. He is not anti-Obama, in fact he says that he believes that President Obama was fairly elected and McNaughton has no "birther" type leanings. He went on to say that he believed that the country started to take a socialistic turn under the administration of George W. Bush with the implementation of the bank bailouts in 2008.
It begs the question, then, "why not pictures of Dubya burning the Constitution?"
He admits that the paintings are meant to be political and hard-hitting (he recently sold "One Country Under Socialism" to Sean Hannity for six figures). He also admits that the paintings are not terribly nuanced, that they are message heavy.
What I think is interesting about the paintings is that though they are heavy-handed and lacking in imagination, he is starting a conversation. And with this being the "Mormon moment," with the likely ascendancy of Mitt Romney to the Republican nomination, well, how do Mormons feel about their moment in the spotlight? How can Mormons answer the stories that are spinning through the media right now (and admittedly, a lot of the spin is full of misinformation, written by people who are not Mormon and clearly didn't ask any Mormons before they published)? How can the Mormons give accurate information to an electorate largely skeptical of Mormons and their beliefs? Is it more about Mormon culture (largely giving, conservative, Republican, pro-life, etc.) or Mormon doctrine, which can veer into the misogynistic and spooky?
I am curious to see how this unfolds.
Monday, April 02, 2012
Becoming Unstuck
I know it's been a while but I've been feeling...well...stuck. I am constantly ranting to my friends about politics, religion, the Republican War on Women, feminism, ad nauseam, etc. Needless to say, I have great friends who tolerate my musings. : )
Mostly, what I've been realizing is that I feel an acute sense of helplessness. The news screams at me, "Syria, Assad, starving children in Africa, Iran, Israel, Russia, Bombs, Romney, Santorum, Mormons, Keith Olbermann left current?!" and mostly I want to cover my head with the sofa cushion and just drink frappuccinos.
Enter my delightful co-worker, published author, and creative delight, Mary. She has been a great champion of my writing; encouraging, cajoling, suggesting and unconsciously, yet decidedly inspiring.
You'll see her ideas coming to life here: A blog a day, each day with a theme that I feel passionate about. I leave it to you if you want to check every day, but I'm interested to see where this road goes.
Cursory ideas include:
Monday Musings
Tuesday ?
Walkabout Wednesday
Thursday ?
Fiction Friday
I would love to hear your ideas for Tuesday and Thursday. Things that push my buttons are politics, religion, feminism, land use issues, etc.
Please, leave your suggestions in the comments or post on my facebook if you so desire.
So, c'mon! Let's go for a ride!
Mostly, what I've been realizing is that I feel an acute sense of helplessness. The news screams at me, "Syria, Assad, starving children in Africa, Iran, Israel, Russia, Bombs, Romney, Santorum, Mormons, Keith Olbermann left current?!" and mostly I want to cover my head with the sofa cushion and just drink frappuccinos.
Enter my delightful co-worker, published author, and creative delight, Mary. She has been a great champion of my writing; encouraging, cajoling, suggesting and unconsciously, yet decidedly inspiring.
You'll see her ideas coming to life here: A blog a day, each day with a theme that I feel passionate about. I leave it to you if you want to check every day, but I'm interested to see where this road goes.
Cursory ideas include:
Monday Musings
Tuesday ?
Walkabout Wednesday
Thursday ?
Fiction Friday
I would love to hear your ideas for Tuesday and Thursday. Things that push my buttons are politics, religion, feminism, land use issues, etc.
Please, leave your suggestions in the comments or post on my facebook if you so desire.
So, c'mon! Let's go for a ride!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Big Girl Dreams
When I was a girl I had two grown-up dreams: to be an actress and to go to Paris, France. Never mind frilly wedding dresses, babies bouncing on my knee, or an overstuffed home full of ornate furnishings. I wanted to be in front of the camera, preferably while speaking French. Oh, wait, now that I think about it, I did that on ABC Primetime on an episode of "What Would You Do."
Huh. I forgot about that.
Last Sunday I returned from my first European excursion to where? You guessed it. Paris. For the first three days I couldn't stop taking pictures. "Oh my goodness, look at that beautiful fountain! Wow, another amazing building! Awesome, cool cobblestone street! Mmmmm....this coffee is ah-mazing." Around day 4 the camera came out of my pocket less frequently as Paris had ceased working its charm. I started paying more attention to the kamikaze scooter riders. I begrudged that some shops were closed on Saturday. I started to get serious cravings for a restaurant that served fresh fruit and vegetables.
"What the hell, Hiatt?" I chided myself. "This is Paris freaking France! You should be enjoying every single last second of this. You have no idea when you'll ever get back here, IF you ever get back here. You made your dream come true! Isn't that enough!?"
On our second to last night in Paris, one of my traveling companions asked me what I thought of the City of Lights. And I said, "the Parisians have been absolutely lovely. They have been kind, helpful, thoughtful, and sweet. There are beautiful buildings to look at and great little neighborhoods and I feel like an ungrateful prig to walk away from a trip to Paris and say, 'Paris? Meh. It was okay.' But I have to be honest. Traveling to a city like this is not what I like for a vacation. It is not the change of pace one craves when hiking around Manhattan seven days a week carrying a 30 lb. bag. I haven't had one moment in this city where my heart opened up and I felt like 'my gosh, this is the dream. This is what I thought Paris would be.'"
Since being back in NYC, I have pondered my reaction to my "dream come true." Such expectations lurk nefariously behind every reverie and only serve to take away from the dream's beauty. It is a possibility that I expected too much from Paris, that I had made the dream bigger than the city itself.
As I examine other "dreams" in my life, I realize that I may have soiled them with the same set of unexamined longings, that the things I think I never got I may have had but didn't acknowledge because it wasn't what I thought it should be. It didn't match the picture in my head.
It begs the question, is it the dreamer's job to create exactly as one thinks it should be and keep creating until it is just so, or take the framework as opposed to the whole?
Perhaps, too, it is okay to acknowledge that dreams change. I never owned a pair of hiking boots until my 27th year, and now I have a pair that are so completely smoothed on the soles they are practically useless for the slickrock scramble. I never, as I dreamed of being a Broadway star sporting a fashionable beret, considered that a pair of hiking boots would be my most prized possession. The point is, that now as I daydream (stealing from Thoreau) "even in an afternoon ramble, the needle always settled west." I search for "a sense of bigness outside ourselves (Sherwood Anderson); we all need something to take the 'shrillness out of us." (Stegner).
Did Paris take the "shrillness" out of me? No. Did it make me feel small in the world, miss my loved ones, and gain even more appreciation for the incredibly bright and funny women I was traveling with? Yes. If dreams coming true is being with the people you love, seeing a part of the world I have always wanted to see, and being an actress, then yes, my wishes prevailed. It may not be exactly what I had in mind nor did I reach it by the route I had planned, but I am here, face to the sun.
Huh. I forgot about that.
Last Sunday I returned from my first European excursion to where? You guessed it. Paris. For the first three days I couldn't stop taking pictures. "Oh my goodness, look at that beautiful fountain! Wow, another amazing building! Awesome, cool cobblestone street! Mmmmm....this coffee is ah-mazing." Around day 4 the camera came out of my pocket less frequently as Paris had ceased working its charm. I started paying more attention to the kamikaze scooter riders. I begrudged that some shops were closed on Saturday. I started to get serious cravings for a restaurant that served fresh fruit and vegetables.
"What the hell, Hiatt?" I chided myself. "This is Paris freaking France! You should be enjoying every single last second of this. You have no idea when you'll ever get back here, IF you ever get back here. You made your dream come true! Isn't that enough!?"
On our second to last night in Paris, one of my traveling companions asked me what I thought of the City of Lights. And I said, "the Parisians have been absolutely lovely. They have been kind, helpful, thoughtful, and sweet. There are beautiful buildings to look at and great little neighborhoods and I feel like an ungrateful prig to walk away from a trip to Paris and say, 'Paris? Meh. It was okay.' But I have to be honest. Traveling to a city like this is not what I like for a vacation. It is not the change of pace one craves when hiking around Manhattan seven days a week carrying a 30 lb. bag. I haven't had one moment in this city where my heart opened up and I felt like 'my gosh, this is the dream. This is what I thought Paris would be.'"
Since being back in NYC, I have pondered my reaction to my "dream come true." Such expectations lurk nefariously behind every reverie and only serve to take away from the dream's beauty. It is a possibility that I expected too much from Paris, that I had made the dream bigger than the city itself.
As I examine other "dreams" in my life, I realize that I may have soiled them with the same set of unexamined longings, that the things I think I never got I may have had but didn't acknowledge because it wasn't what I thought it should be. It didn't match the picture in my head.
It begs the question, is it the dreamer's job to create exactly as one thinks it should be and keep creating until it is just so, or take the framework as opposed to the whole?
Perhaps, too, it is okay to acknowledge that dreams change. I never owned a pair of hiking boots until my 27th year, and now I have a pair that are so completely smoothed on the soles they are practically useless for the slickrock scramble. I never, as I dreamed of being a Broadway star sporting a fashionable beret, considered that a pair of hiking boots would be my most prized possession. The point is, that now as I daydream (stealing from Thoreau) "even in an afternoon ramble, the needle always settled west." I search for "a sense of bigness outside ourselves (Sherwood Anderson); we all need something to take the 'shrillness out of us." (Stegner).
Did Paris take the "shrillness" out of me? No. Did it make me feel small in the world, miss my loved ones, and gain even more appreciation for the incredibly bright and funny women I was traveling with? Yes. If dreams coming true is being with the people you love, seeing a part of the world I have always wanted to see, and being an actress, then yes, my wishes prevailed. It may not be exactly what I had in mind nor did I reach it by the route I had planned, but I am here, face to the sun.
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