Leaving Washington….or so I thought
Who would have thought having an accident in the first five minutes of a trip would have a silver lining? Well, it did……by providing needed tone for the adventure. Simply stated, be agile, rolling with the unanticipated and be of good cheer even in the face of adversity. There are two very unlikely people to thank. Let me explain. No sooner had I pulled out of the Union Station parking garage, stopping at the first traffic signal, than the Metro bus ahead of me backed into my car. crushing the front grill and bumper. AlI I could think was “I don’t %$^&@! believe this.”
Springing from the car and darting to the front of the bus while dodging oncoming traffic, I had one thing on my mind, read the riot act to the driver. Half expecting to find a burly, 250 pound, Ralph Cranston (Honeymooners) like driver, instead I was greeted by a young woman overcome with emotion resulting from her error. Instantly I melted and then instinctively began to comfort and reassure her it was no big deal. So much for equal treatment. She felt better and I lost all my anger. With a clear head, I dialed 911.
Shortly we were joined by an officer of the Washington Police Department. Truly one of Washington’s finest. Besides being helpful in every way, I learned he hails from Rochester and spotting my Florida plate, triggered a conversation on the benefits of retiring in Florida. Our conversation touched on places to consider and the importance of having goals and a plan for retirement. How did we get off on the right foot, you might be asking? He greeted both the driver and me with a broad smile offering “how can I help you?”
The atmosphere engendered by the driver’s remorse and the policeman’s generosity extinguished any serious negativity, affording me the ability to think clearly on what I needed to do to get the car repaired in short order. The accident occurred on Wednesday afternoon. Thursday morning the car was turned in the body shop and repairs began on Friday and was ready the following Wednesday.
Nice works.
Charlottesville
Charlottesville, Virginia was my first stop. Why? First, my niece Samantha graduated from the University of Virginia, originally piquing my interest with her enthusiasm. Second, Jeff encouraged me, knowing I would love the history. Our third President, Thomas Jefferson, founded the university believing that “if a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization it expects what never was and never will be.” It is, also, the home of Thomas Jefferson’s beloved Montecello. I spent the better part of a day absorbing all Montecello had to offer. Words capturing my impressions include eclectic, exquisite, tinker box, proportional, stately, and welcoming. I imagined encountering Jefferson and concluding he was strategic, petty, intelligent, versatile, provocative, impressionable, competitive, egotistical, contradictory and secretive. Most certainly our country’s first renaissance man.
If you haven’t seen Montecello, it sits on top of a mountain that was flattened for the structure. The right hand porch provides a direct line of sight to UVA, the educational institution he founded. Jefferson is buried on the grounds of Montecello. A substantial obelisk, matching his ego, marks his grave stone. The plot is not owned by the foundation that runs Montecello. Rather it is owned by the family. Decedents still live in the area and continue to be buried in the family plot. The foundation has given appropriate attention to Sally Hemings, his black mistress, and the important role she and her family played in the Jefferson’s family life.
After dinner at a quiet bistro in the center the previous evening, I retraced the route of the Unite the Right march. Walking along their path, I wondered what drove these young men to hate, chanting despicable words and carrying torches reminiscent of Klan gatherings. I searched for the street where Heather Heyer was brutally killed and found it. A few bouquets remained and the chalk tributes on the sidewalk and wall could still be seen but were now fading. I wondered if she would be remembered a year from now.
After visiting Montecello, the irony of this hateful assembly occurring in a place of enlightenment hit me. Something else hit me that ever so subtly is linked to the march. The people visiting Montecello were all white. No people of color. Think about that. Then ask, how can we be a united people if a significant percentage of our citizens don’t feel that as American’s, it’s their history, too? Alienation? If so, this is a problem. The subtle link between the march and the alienation begins to become apparent. In a word, silos.
I’ll leave it at that
Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA
By now you must be thinking, TMI, and he hasn’t even touched on Liberty University. And you're right. Less is more. Lose the James Joyce verbosity and more like Earnest Hemingway’s simple elegance. Got it!
Lynchburg was never on my bucket list. Home to Jerry Falwell’s Thomas Road Church and Liberty University. Why on earth would I ever make it a priority? That was before my cousin BethAnne’s oldest son decided to attend Liberty and now was graduating. I was invited to attend his graduation, joining his other family members for the commencement ceremony and celebratory outings. I have great admiration for BethAnne. She is a marvelous mother, overcoming huge challenges as a single parent proving a generous heart is a boundless source of energy. BethAnne was somewhat reluctant to tell me that Vice President Mike Pence would deliver the commencement address for fear I would say no. Quite the contrary. I was curious and besides, it would be my first opportunity to wear a Buttigieg for President button!
Fully expecting to find an institution with low academic standards, limited diversity, anti-science, a narrow thinking student body, and MAGA hats replacing graduation caps, I came to experience something dramatically different. My guides were the assortment of friends and family that had gathered in Lynchburg. All were evangelical Christians. My suspicion was I had already been pegged ahead of arriving as BethAnne’s gay, New York, democrat, cousin. Hence, I expected tolerance and a jab or two at best and a cold shoulder at worst. How could I be so small? Their welcome was overwhelmingly warm. As the weekend progressed, the family embrace only intensified. Our conversations covered a broad range of topics mostly avoided in polite society. There was no judgement. Nor sense of entitlement. Education, family, self reliance, service, and joy resonated as their core values and calculus for their opinions and observations.
The University is 46 years old with a diverse student body of 20,000 on campus. In addition there are 100,000 on-line students. The school has achieved national academic ranking in engineering, law, and medicine. It made the second round of the NCAA basketball tournament this last year. The student body impressed me as diverse, clean cut, trendy and joyful. Last year’s commencement speaker was former President Carter. Bernie Sanders has spoken to the student body twice. Weekly there is an all student assembly which features an outside speaker. The speaker, regardless of reputation or advocacy is accorded a respectable reception. So, as you can imagine, I ate a large slice of humble pie. The experience forced me to ask why was I so willing to dismiss Liberty, while respecting Yale, Harvard and Princeton, all founded by Christian organizations or Yeshiva and Brandies, principally Jewish, or Villanova and Fordham, Catholic?
The commencement was held in a massive, state of the art football stadium that was filled to capacity. There wasn’t an empty seat. Nor was there a red MAGA hat in sight. Jerry Falwell, Jr. as President, led the commencement. He is slick and inauthentic. His jokes and objectifying his wife in his opening comments were inappropriate and out of step. I wondered what others thought. My family guides validated my perceptions at our lunch afterwards. Rarely does nepotism work. Like him or leave him, Jerry Falwell, Sr. was authentic and a visionary. Unlike Jerry Jr., the provost connected with the student body. His charge to the graduates was to find higher purpose through faith and reject purpose that fundamentally is self centered. Faith based purpose leads to a well lived life. Finally the Vice President spoke. Disappointedly, he delivered a campaign stump speech. It was safe, avoiding the more contentious topics and offering no insights to life. It was well delivered and respectfully acknowledged. But he missed an opportunity to rise above the “arena” and speak high mindedly as we yearn our leaders to do. Oh, how I miss President Obama. Remember when he sang Amazing Grace at the memorial service in Charleston?
So, how would I describe my weekend in the the foot hills of Appalachia? Answer: Spiritually Invigorated. Humbled by the unconditional generosity of heart. Perplexed by the contradictions. Thankful.
Next
Off to Asheville, Frankfort/Lexington, and Nashville.
Комментарии