Dear President Biden, I’m not sure what exactly tipped my brain over into that space where it’s acting like a tongue that can’t leave a rough tooth alone, but just now the phrase “existential dread” landed like a lead balloon and won’t leave me alone. Actually, I doubt it was any one thing having just …
May we accept that we are tiny and brief
Dear President Biden, I’ve been pretty numb lately, but today the picture of the base of the giant sequoia, General Sherman, wrapped in aluminum got me going. Have you seen the sequoias? For real, in person? If so then you’ve surely seen General Sherman. I hope so. I hope you’ve had the awesome opportunity to …
The air we breathe
Dear President Biden, Diesel fuel fumes are wafting through the front windows from the huge dump truck that’s dumping a ginormous pile of gravel, dirt, or asphalt (not sure which this morning) in front of our house. It’s also incredibly loud when the trucks are getting in gear and drivers have to floor it to …
Do no harm
Dear President Biden, This morning, on the return leg of my walk, I crossed one of the light arterials in the neighborhood and on the far side of the street saw what looked like a stick covered with crushed peppermint candy heading north. Seriously. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that it was a six-inch …
Weevils and worms
Dear President Biden, This morning I started a cup of dried chickpeas soaking in water so I could make falafel for dinner tonight. It was to be a Sunday treat – “was” being the operative word here. After several hours I looked into the bowl to check on the plumping progress and noticed some weird …
Braids and hearts
Dear President Biden, The center panel of the above-the-fold section of the online WP this morning holds three stories about Black men who were killed or brutalized by police. From top to bottom they include: 1) the story of Anton Wright, a 19-year old mentally ill young man who died under the weight of three …
The existential toll of confronting evil
Dear President Biden, I probably would have been just as moved, just as saddened and angered by DC police officer Jeffrey Smith’s death by suicide after the insurrection if he and his wife were going to celebrate their 2nd wedding anniversary today instead of February 2nd – the same day Laura and I celebrated our …
The Biden Letters 