Uh, Ok.

 

The "debate" last night.... just unbelievable.  I could not stomach watching it for longer than a few minutes, and switched off to find more relaxing pursuits.  

 NPR gave me a relatively brief summary this morning, and I can safely say that I missed nothing of any importance.  As expected, Trump was horrible, mean, and obnoxious.  As expected (sadly), Biden was not as coherent and as focused as he should have been.  

 While Biden has a clear lead in the polls at this time, I am deeply concerned that in the next 5 weeks that the pressures will become so hot, so volatile, that some will either a) start to waffle and drift in terms of support to replace Trump, or b) begin to feel again that their vote is unimportant and NOT vote. 

 Another four years of this would be so disastrous.    

* * * * *

I ran 9 miles in heavy rain this morning.  It was 50 degrees (10 C) and there was a very strong headwind that I had to run into for 1/2 of the run.  I was very happy to get it over with and take a warm shower.  I prayed the rosary during the first part of the run.  But I had finished my prayer before I completed the 9 miles.  

As I continued running, I let my mind drift a bit, and I ended up thinking about my Dad.  It has been over 26 years now that I have seen him when he was alive.  In my mind, I was reliving a few of my favorite spending time moments with him.  I was remembering the many times we went out together to eat a few Coney dogs together and just sit and talk with big mugs of root beer to accompany the dogs.  

But, I was also remembering the many times we would smoke our pipes together, and I was especially remembering one camping trip where he and I both stayed up far later than the others in our group...  deep into the late, late hours of evening, sitting around the campfire, smoking our pipes, quiet much of the time, with occasional bits of conversation, just feeling the sensations of the forest around us, feeling calm, feeling timeless.   This particular time I was remembering occurred during the Summer before I started graduate school, so I was just 21 at the time.  It was probably only about 4-6 weeks before this, that I had chosen which graduate program to attend from the ones who offered me a teaching assistantship and tuition waiver.  So I felt good, and felt a sense of relief.  I felt this relief because a) I *had* been accepted into graduate school, b) my hoped for future plans had actually gelled into something I could rely upon and I did not feel as nebulous about what I would do.  So, I felt very peaceful.  My Dad (and my Mom too, of course) was quite proud and happy for me.  Everything about that evening felt so right.  Life seemed to have purpose and meaning.  I felt I was a part of really working towards "trying to do good" with my life via the path I selected.   It felt like I had a legitimate path and with hard work, I could continue to try to become a person who would be able to make some sort of positive difference.  And, everything felt so good in life at that moment.

 PipeTobacco