I have a couple of cameras (well more than a couple.) I have a great bag full of lenses, this was taken with a 10.5mm Nikkor fisheye lens. An amazing wide view of the world.
Life is not always easy, or fun. I am fortunate to be able to choose how I respond to the trials of daily life. Usually with getting stressed, then realizing that it is all a part of the journey. It may not be the party I hoped for, but while we are here I might as well dance.
I grump about the weather, and the traffic, and the cost, but I am very fortunate to live in a wonderful area. As a major world capital, there is money, power, influence, and with that comes shopping, food and drink, museums, and arts. It isn't perfect, it can be cold in the winter, and steamy in the summer, there are times when you simply have to give up on traffic and go home. From the first time I visited here, I dreamed of living here. This is really the first place in my life that I have lived in because it was someplace I wanted to be. I am lucky, most people live where they live because of fate or chance or necessity. It is an interesting place to view the world stage from.
Politics are weird right now. Frightening at times. Politics have been like this before, and we have survived. The late 50's into the 60's was a very difficult time, and yet big things were done. There is still a lot of progress left to be made. But I can see it happening. In the long run. Brave people standing up for what is fair and equitable.
There are innovators in the private sphere working on amazing things. Access to space flight, higher speed mass transit, cleaner energy, more efficient food production, medicine. Government funding took us to the moon, but a bicycle shop demonstrated controlled flight. Electric lighting, and telecommunications came out of private workshops. In my view we are in a period of amazing innovation. 100 years ago only dreamers flew over oceans. What will our generations equivalent be to that? And there will be one.
So I have an optimistic view. If I take a pessimistic view, I am pretty certain that I will be dead before life or civilization as we know it end.
I give you props for hanging in and living there. A rare bird. I love DC and have visited numerous times for pleasure and business. But I couldn't live there. I noticed with the circle of people I know all seem to be power hungry and "prestige appearance"..and only seem to get along with people who drive this wear this and who do you know. My other close friend moved from DC because of it with the navy. He hung in for 10 years and couldn't take it anymore.
ReplyDeleteThe bigger the city, the easier it is to be non-conformist.
DeleteYes, we must be optimistic and have faith in young people who have grown up in a much more tolerant and decent world than we did, in spite of us screwing up so many things up for them.
ReplyDeleteThe next generation always seems to survive the prior screw ups
DeleteI love DC but lived there during a few of the Reagan years and couldn’t wait to escape. I couldn’t stop the bile from rising when I visited during the Drumpf years. Still, such an amazing place. I currently don’t have an optimistic view. Although I might survive all this, too many people in other places will not.
ReplyDeleteThe good thing about presidents, is they never last long, when he who must not be named came into town, we knew we could outlast it. Even R's hunkered down, one told me, he kept his head down and hoped to not be noticed for four years.
DeleteIt's good to be positive. And oh so important these crazy days.
ReplyDeleteThe times are strange, but we will survive
DeleteYour pessimistic view is actually a pretty optimistic view as well.
ReplyDeleteThe ultimate escape is old age
DeleteI am focusing not on optimism or pessimism but what I must do , which is my duty and The Right Thing.
ReplyDelete