Watching the weather report last night we are heading into a week of mild weather with temperatures in the 70s. The plants in the yard will be so happy! Me, too.
The Joyful edition:
A few nights ago I was watching the Olympics on TV. It was time for bed but I didn't want the day to end. Why? I had to analyze the feeling. What was going on? All of the sudden I realized it was a mixture of joy and hope -- two feelings I haven't experienced in a long time. Earlier in the evening my husband and I the Kamala Harris rally where she introduced Tim Walz as her running mate. There was so much joy in the arena for this rally. It was contagious. I caught it across the airwaves. Today I will share a few more moments which have led to that joy. I'll hyperlink sources where I'm able to. Click on the links to find out even more.
"Thank you, Madame Vice President, for bringing back the joy!"-Gov. Tim Walz
Polling and More...
88 days until the election. Plenty of time for things to change, but here is where polls stand today. The numbers were very different three weeks ago before President Biden opted out. In some polls Vice President Harris has gained over 6 points. She is also up in other swing states: +6 in Nevada and statistically even in Arizona and Georgia.
Washington State Primary in August is a Bellwether for National
Elections in November.
“You’ve got a unique thing going on, where all the candidates appear on
the same ballot, no matter the party, and voters are free to choose from
any of them,” … “It’s better than the polls.”- Seattle Times
J.D. Vance, Trump's VP pick, made a disparaging comment about single, cat ladies a few years back. That hasn't gone well for the campaign since now there is a whole new group activated against them. Vance made things worse when he defended himself by saying, "I have nothing against cats." Well, you can imagine what the backlash looks like.
Zoom meetings for Harris abound. This is an upcoming meeting for Taylor Swift fans. There is still time to sign up. Swifties for Harris. I plan on attending another online meetup on Monday: Christians for Kamala.
In a 2022 CNN interview musician Billy Joel explained how the Beatles helped to bring America out of a depression caused by the death of JFK.
"In 1964 the country had the blues, big time. Everybody
was depressed over the Kennedy assassination, and it lasted for a long
time. Who took us out of that depression? The Beatles. They showed up on the Ed Sullivan Show in February that year and the rest is history.
They represented youth, the future. They
represented vitality. Something new, something which was of us, our age
group, the baby boomers, and they took off like superstars." --Billy Joel (Source)
We can insert Harris/Walz for the Beatles (not musically, of course.) Think about it. Harris and Walz came along when we needed them the most. We were in a state of depression about our country. We had the blues, big time. Then Biden bowed out as a candidate for President and suddenly, WHAM, Harris and Walz to the rescue. They represent joy and hope, the future. They represent vitality. Something new, something like us, and they have taken off like superstars.
"Can you feel it? I've been breathless lately, watching a movement coalesce in plain sight."-Angela Marx, DKos
"Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are leading with joy and vigor. The enormous amounts of money donated, the massive crowds showing up everywhere they go this week.
There is a palpable feeling in the air now... All I know is that in the past two weeks, I’ve started to feel that
the future isn't going to just be some apocalyptic hellhole where my
grandkids will live short, brutal lives.
But a future where good works and good people overcome the hate and
insanity of the corrupted and demented pro-authoritarians; where nations
come together for real, to make progress against the inevitable damage
from Climate Change, before the time to begin such work passes."
Doom-scrolling has been replaced by Joy-scrolling.
Unbelievably I haven't only been joy-scrolling. I've also been reading and I've read some fantastic books these past few weeks. I've haven't reviewed any of them yet, but let me recommend these three:
North Woods by Daniel Mason -- I can't believe this book didn't win the Pulitzer. It is a series of collected interconnected stories and documents centered around a house in Western Massachusetts from the earliest days of Colonial America into the future. I loved, loved, loved this book.
Wandering Starsby Tommy Orange -- This is a sequel AND prequel to There There, a fantastic book published in 2018 about the urban Indian experience. This book covers more of this topic and additional exploration of the horrors of addiction. It isn't an easy book to digest, but it should still be required reading for all Americans.
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters -- Another story about Indigenous people and the difficulties they have endured over the years. The story focuses on a family whose daughter is kidnapped. Another tough topic but a beautifully wrought story.
Olympics
I visited my aunt yesterday. She is convalescing in a rehab center after a hospital stay for her health concerns. As I entered the room, she had her eyes glued to Olympics coverage on the TV. She assured me that she was doing well and would make it home in no time. In the meantime she could watch as much Olympics as she wanted! Of course, as an American I always hope we will do well but what I love about the Olympics is how it brings the whole world together and how happy it makes us all feel. There is true joy in the Olympics! Here is one remarkable story: Arshad Nadeem: Beating the odds to win Pakistan’s first individual Olympic gold medal.(Federal News) There were so many inspiring stories like this one.
Hope and Joy!
Crowd leaves Harris/Walz rally in Wisconsin with a sense of hope and joy!
The Internet is awash with tweets about how Tim Walz is like dad and full of dad jokes. Here is one of my favorites:
Have a wonderful, joyful week!
-Anne
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