My vacation in D.C. has come to an end, and I am driving home through weather (leaving a little later to avoid it) - a small price to pay for what I have taken away from in D.C.  Aside from seeing very dear friends and spending time with family,  I have to say it was inspiring.  Inspiring because grumpy and critical as I can be - D.C. provided the big picture.   None of the following was new to me but it is useful to be reminded.

Visits to the Museums showed me how far we have come and as Rachel Carson reminds us

We still talk in terms of conquest.  We still haven’t become mature enough to think in terms of ourselves as a tiny part of a vast and incredible universe.

This quote applies equally to our relationship with nature as well as our relationship with each other.

Visits to the Capitol building reminded me that indeed that there is value in the diversity of ideas - that diverse ideas gave rise to a nation. A nation that isn’t always as perfect as individuals want it to be and works a bit too slow at times. Sure we have a lot of work to do.  Work that spans a couple of lifetimes but it is the journey that brings us joy, reward, and satisfaction.  The journey down the path called making a difference.  We can’t physically span several lifetimes but others will pick up where we leave off if we give them a reason to do so.

Visits to Capitol Hill and various Congressional offices helped me really understand that these folks truly do work for us.  They are bound to at times disappoint, but that should be the exception not the rule. Because in the end they do work for us and we as “the people” have a unique responsibility to remind them.

Finally, walking about the Mall, there is something definitely in the air:  a buzz, a whatever you want to call it, but you can feel it.  What is it?  Obama?  Maybe but  I think it is something more - we are reminded that when we don’t sit on the sidelines - we can affect change.   I suppose more than that we (with a h/t to Gandhi) can be the change we want to become.

There is more of course but this quick post will have to do until I get back.

See you soon - pics and posts - galore…

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1. The NY North Country Senate Race (48th) in a Nutshell
2. Only in Washington….
3. Heading over to DEC Days
4. Well, that $318M dollars wasn’t very well spent - Dell closing North Carolina plant.
5. If you’re travelling to the North Country fair