I remember hearing once about a middle school student who wanted to be class president. She promised everyone free ice cream and won easily against a poorer student who had good ideas and a genuine interest in her classmates. Has the United States of America become like that middle school class?  Do we just want to elect those who promise us the most stuff and the easiest life……forgetting that We the People pay for it?

It would be nice to make a good living at a job that required little education, so maybe we should increase the minimum wage. Free college for everyone may be a solution….. even for kids who did not value the first 13 years of free education. Of course everyone should get free health care, including smokers, alcoholics and drug abusers. And if someone has a bad outcome, they should be able to sue the health care system, even if their care was rendered in good faith for a self-induced ailment. It all sounds nice, but it is not realistic.

We have such itchy ears. Do we really think our society can prosper this way? We are a society in denial. We listen to politicians when they blatantly tell untruths and then expect them to act in good faith the next time. We forget that if someone is dishonest in a small matter, they will be dishonest in a large one. They promise what they cannot give. We desperately need honest politicians to tell us what we would rather not hear.

We the people need to let our politicians know that character DOES matter. If they do not pay their own taxes, I don’t want them to vote on mine. If they cheat on their spouse they will cheat on me! What they do in their personal lives is no longer just their own business …… It determines whether I want them to be involved in mine!

I remember circling a parking lot with my husband at a health club. We were searching for a close parking spot. We wanted to go in and walk the track. We were trying to save a few steps on our way to walk! Definitely schizophrenic. Definitely American. And CRAZY!

So fast forward a few years and I bought a Fitbit. I LOVE my fitbit. It goes with me everywhere and it counts every step I take. The first thing it taught me is that I really did not take that many steps. But now I do more. When others are parking close to buildings, I purposefully park further away and enjoy the walk. I take the stairs. I make more trips to carry in the groceries (and don’t drop as much). Getting to 10,000 steps every day is not easy. It means avoiding escalators and elevators and moving sidewalks. It means taking a walk with a friend. Staying off the couch and enjoying outdoors.

Instead of taking shortcuts all day so I can get home in time to exercise, I incorporate it into my day. I encourage my patients to do the same. Why have we bought into the lie that the most efficient route is always best? It’s just not true! So why do I love my Fitbit? It has taught me that sometimes the best way is the long way around!

Today I went on a college tour.  As this was for my 4th and youngest child, I have lost count of how many college tours I have been on.  I realized something as I sat listening this morning – all of the “welcome to this  school” talks are almost identical.  All admission officers say the same things.  If  all you did was listen to that part of the tour, you could not tell where you were.  So for anyone embarking on a similar endeavor, I have listed a few questions you might want to ask yourself about a school your son or daughter is thinking about attending.

1.  If it is a small school, does the community support it?  Is it truly a college town?

2.  How many students continue to live on campus past the first year?

3.  What is dorm life like?

4.  How is the food?

5.  What percentage of students study abroad?

6. How many states or countries are represented in the student body?

7.  What percentage of students participate in Greek life?

8.  What clubs are on campus?  Intramural sports?

9.  Is there an honor system?

10.   Are classes taught by professors only or teaching assistants?

11.  Finally, google Successful “school of choice” graduates to see if there are any highly successful or famous graduates.  Schools will always say that their stats are great.  This morning they said that 97% of last year’s grads were employed, in grad school, or volunteering or doing other useful activities!  What does that mean?

 I remember  a science  project as a kid where I planted one ear of corn in my parent’s flower bed.       It did not fare well!  As a kid, I never watched things grow.  Already grown flowers and fruit and vegetables came from the store.  I probably was vaguely aware of seeds but the seeds to food drama occurred elsewhere. And drama it is!

I am older now and have a garden. It is so much fun! Who knew that if you plant carrots in dirt above red clay they turn 90 degrees and grow sideways? Definitely a rookie mistake! I did not know that a green pepper will mature into a red pepper with 11 times more beta-carotene and      1 1/2 times more vitamin C. And paprika is made from red peppers! Amazing! City dwellers lose out on so much! Everyone living with lots of traffic and tall buildings should have at least a small herb garden in a window or on a balcony….just for the pleasure of watching something grow!

Last night I had a dream that I met the President. I was standing in a long line. Somehow I lost one of my shoes (very high heels …a very unrealistic dream). I felt it would be extremely rude to meet the President with only one shoe, so I frantically hunted and found it! They let me back in line. My turn came to shake the President’s hand and he liked me! Enough that he asked me if I would like to meet Michelle. Yes!! (Even in my dream I was excited) He called over a secret service agent and I was taken to meet Michelle Obama. And she liked me too! Enough that she asked me if there was any room in the White House I would like to see. Would I!! The Lincoln bedroom. So there we went. (It gets even better). Mrs Obama had been in there earlier reading a book and it was lying on the table. I was staring at it and she asked me if I knew about it. I did! I had written it (again, a very unrealistic dream). She wanted me to autograph it….and then there were other questions. Where was I from? Small town in South Carolina. Gaffney. You know…the Peach water tower in House of Cards. And then…what was the pulse of the nation? How would I know? I live in Gaffney. I told her that with the recent response of Mother Emmanuel church to the Charleston shooting, there was a renewed sense of hope and the grace of God. But also, with the recent Supreme Court hearing on gay marriage………..I woke up, but kept thinking about what I would say.

 
What do people feel with this last ruling? Some are happy. Some don’t care much. But those who are looking down the road, I think, feel a sense of dread. More is coming. It isn’t just about freedom to love who you choose. It never was. The rhetoric has been manipulated. Especially when it is called a civil rights issue. Why are those who fought so hard in the real civIl rights movement not offended? Martin Luther King was fighting to be seen by his fellow men as God saw him. We are all one race. The Bible is clear on that. The Bible is clear that we are to love everyone. The bible is also clear that there are actions that God does not sanction. One is sexual relations between those of the same sex. This ruling is not about loving whomever you choose. It is about the state condoning an action not condoned by God. It is just the opposite of the real civil rights movement.

So, in my dream, I was not able to finish discussing the current state of our nation. I am left to wonder how the dream would have ended if I had remained asleep. Dreams while asleep are often foggy things anyway. The dream that Martin Luther King had was a different sort of dream, and I am vary glad it is being realized more and more in this great land. There are dreams and aspirations of some groups, however, that I feel do not bode well for the state of our nation.

The recent tragedy in Charleston has touched the heart of this nation. So has the response of the church. President Barack Obama called it “an expression of faith that is unimaginable but that reflects the goodness of the American people.” It reflects the goodness of a people who live close to and serve a good God. It is not something anyone could do on their own strength. That is why the world will never understand it. What a witness! They will see, like Joseph in the Old Testament, how something the devil means for evil can bring about good. I am amazed and heartened and encouraged at their strength. We must all pray for these people. Pray that the God they serve will bring revival to our hearts.

To the people of Emmanuel African Methodist Church…I am saddened for your loss, but you and those who died are giving our nation a great gift. Thank you. Thank you for showing us the grace of God.

A patient recently told be that “nobody trusts anybody anymore.” I am inclined to agree with that to a point. Perhaps that is the reason that so many of us are being tracked. Let me explain…I am not talking about the tracking that goes on when you purchase something or look something up on the internet. That is another problem altogether. I am concerned about the tracking of so many professionals as they try to do their job. Tracking teachers. Tracking UPS drivers. Tracking physicians. That last one I know a lot about. Everyone is tracking us. Drug reps know if we prescribe their drugs. Insurance companies know how many and what kind of tests we order. (Some we don’t order because they don’t let us) Hospitals know how many of our patients are admitted. Our electronic medical records can tell how many diabetic patients we have and what their sugar runs. They cannot yet tell you how well these same patients follow directions, but that will come soon… they are tracking patients also. And calling their homes. All because they care, of course.

All of this tracking is to improve things. Perhaps there is someone somewhere who does a better job because of it? I doubt it! Mostly, it just discourages those of us who really do care and are really trying to do a good job!

A good walk can change your mood! The smell of honeysuckle. The melody of birds, especially in the early morning which is my favorite time to stride. There is something about the beauty of nature that enlarges and calms one’s thoughts. I often find myself thanking God for the gorgeous side of life. I love the vast expanses of green below and blue above. Why do people want to move away from this? I have lived in a large city before but now I reside outside a small town in a rural area. In a big city you don’t miss this scenery as much as you just forget about it. You get used to cement and blocked skies. It can be exciting and I will take a large city for a weekend of fun. But for day in and day out living, I think I prefer more space. I know it is true that tall buildings can inspire…………………. but for me, I am inspired by green and blue!

I confess to being a bit of a news junkie. I love to listen to what is going on in the world. But what is going on lately makes me shudder for the welfare of my country. I love my country. I would like everyone to love my county, especially my fellow citizens who live here. The citizens of Ferguson. The citizens of Baltimore. The citizens of my home town.We have problems. Poverty, lack of education, family breakdown, disenfranchisement, racial tension, even maybe instances of police brutality……they all are on display. But as NFL New Orleans Saint, Benjamin Watson, says “they are smoke, but the underlying fire is something that we all have to deal with and that’s our sin.” If we are looking for root causes, we need to start there. There is a little of Ferguson and Baltimore in all of our lives. None of us treat others as we should. None of us give as much as we could. None of care as much as we ought. But realizing that is a start. Benjamin Watson says that it is “only through a relationship with Jesus Christ that we can really deal with these situations and deal with our problem and then we can move forward and have reconciliation.” Music to the ear…and from an NFL player!! Maybe I will watch a little less news and a little more football!

I recently watched. “Woman in Gold” and loved it!  I love learning history with popcorn and a big screen.  This time the history was sad.  My first awareness of the Nazi’s theft of valuable art  came in another theater showing “The Monuments Men” last year.  Woman in Gold taught me a little more.  It was great entertainment…but it is   disconcerting to hear that governments and museums fight to keep heirs from reclaiming masterpieces stolen from their families.  I am glad that the “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” was finally returned and hope someday to see it in it’s current home, the Neue Galerie, in New York.