I drove downtown a couple weeks ago to make a hand-off to a friend who was hosting an event. As we traded a couple of quick comments trunk-side, she invited me to join in her activity. I thanked her but declined saying, "I've already made one trip downtown this week." I grew up living 20 miles away from New York City. Outside of my Dad bringing us in to work at his college or my aunt taking us to Broadway shows every so often, we almost never went there. Later, I worked in Chicago and managed the trains and buses in and out of the city for five years -- until I took a job in the 'burbs. Now, going to the city is largely for entertainment purposes, and I tend not to be the driver for those occasions. Despite what you might be intimating, I do not dislike cities. They truly do have a quality and magnetism all their own. But me DRIVING in the city is another story entirely. And life today seems like a nonstop ride in the city.
I n a moment of bravery, I shared a post to my Facebook wall about an event that occurred at a political convention. In 2024, you're taking your sanity and relationships in your hands by risking such a click. But I had seen and read enough by that point that Friday to warrant a cast into the lake of general advocacy. Wednesday evening, August 21st, I watched some of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, because part of my process of discernment in an election year is seeing and hearing candidates speak for themselves, in longer-format platforms. Conventions are notorious for being celebrations of and for the political party itself -- this is not lost on me. But I can generally glean something of what's valuable to someone in watching a 15-20+ minute delivered speech or interview. The Democratic nominee for Vice President, Tim Walz, took to the podium as part of his acceptance of the nomination. His family -- wife, daughter and son -- all watching. During his speech, Walz r...