Yes, this time of year does feel different this year. I love summer and am always sad to see summer end and autumn begin. Last fall I did a lot of hiking in NH with my friend and my dog, Teddy. We decided to tackle 4000 footers, an awesome undertaking, and hiked 4 of them. The picture above is from our 2nd 4000 footer, and really captures some of the beautiful fall scenery we saw. We had fun in spite of the really hard work, and felt proud of our accomplishment. There was a sense of freedom and adventure that we could take for granted. This year, I don't feel a sense of freedom and adventure. I feel much more apprehension and worry. I am worried about a second wave of the Corona virus hitting. I am worried about another quarantine. I wonder what it will be like facing all of this as winter approaches. At least when this all started, there was summer to look forward to. I worry about not being able to have social distance gatherings as it gets cold. I am also really worried about the upcoming election. I was horrified when our current president won 4 years ago, and can't imagine what 4 more years might look like. I am also worried at the distrust and confusion that has been created about the upcoming election and voting. There is so much confusion! I never look forward to the end of summer and this year, I am anticipating fall and winter with much more dread than usual. I certainly don't have the sense of fun and adventure that was so present last year.
September 3, 2020
The journal makes me reflect which is good. Knowing the information is going to the US often makes me think of things from the perspective of being the small guy sitting next to the giant. Americans as individuals are some of the kindest and thoughtful people I have met anywhere in the world. The concern I have for your nation is the direction that some leaders want to take. Canada is not perfect as seen by recently by the discovery of 215 unmarked graves in my hometown. We have issues the same as you. Our values on many levels are the same, but some differences are difficult to understand. I will leave it at that.
June 17, 2021