In light of the shit show in the Oval Office the other day, the historian in me is tempted to write at length about Ronald Reagan rolling over in his grave. I fear for the future of democracy. That line is as close as I'll come to going in-depth about the historical reasons I believe this to be a very real concern. I don't even want to think about it, let alone write about it. Instead, I'm watching Black Labrador reels on Insta, among them a very cute story about a dog who looks very much like my Sadie on her way to Starbucks for a pup cup. Just can't get enough of Black Labs. The algorithm knows this. I get constant Springsteen and Lab reels as I scroll, which lifts my spirits in these uncertain times.
In that vein, I'm also re-reading Taking Midway in its entirety. Second Pass arrived Friday. It's about 350 pages. I went to print it out Friday night because editing on the page is so much better than off the screen. But I was almost out of paper, so I could only print a few hundred pages. I read them at the track meet yesterday, in between the 3200's at dawn, the 800's at noon, and the 1600's at 4 pm. Sat there amid the chaos of athlete check-in and DK on the PA (IYKYK) with my pencil, carefully going over every line. It was calming. My thoughts only shifted to authoritarian dictatorships and personality cults a couple times, when I let my guard down and my mind wandered.
Back to Second Pass. The publisher needs it back Monday. So I'll buy more paper at Staples today, then edit again before the Academy Awards (must watch TV in my house since I was a child, though I haven't seen all this year's nominees). I'll finish up in the waiting room with the bad lighting during tomorrow's hospital visit, which is scheduled to be three hours long. That's how you read a whole book in a weekend. A man can get a lot of peace of mind by getting lost in the words. If they're good I forget they're my own. If they're bad I fix them until they're good.
It was as cold at yesterday's meet as it was warm last week. My runners continue to amaze me. The undoubted highlight was watching a runner who'd never won a race find the courage to make a bold move and sprint away to victory. So amazing. I did not cry. Almost. But I was very misty. She got a big bear hug for the effort. I am sparing with my hugs, so I hope it carried heft.
Went to a 90th birthday for my father-in-law afterward. Successfully avoided giving in to my historical concerns during the thirty minutes there and back. Though now that I think of it, FDR preferred Stalin over Churchill in the waning days of WWII as a display of realpolitik. Truman had to clean up that gross misjudgment of character and national ambition, even sitting with Churchill as the former prime minister delivered his famous "Iron Curtain" speech. Stayed up late with Calene, watching TV and catching up after the long day at the meet. It can be exhausting to coach for so long but I really wasn't tired. It was hard to escape the nagging concerns when SNL did a cold open about the Oval Office craziness, which was pretty funny. Felt cathartic to laugh about it.
We have company coming in today from South Dakota. The next week has no track meets so we'll just train hard. I sent my editor a couple new chapters from the running book and she liked them with exclamation marks. So I'll push forward on that after I finish Second Pass.
Then how will I escape? I won't. With nowhere else to turn I'll probably doom scroll on X, soaking up the political furor from both sides. I am deeply worried about our country, the global balance of power, and the future of democracy. It frightens me beyond words.
But that's for later, when I run out of ways to escape. Now I'm watching the pup cup reel once again. It makes me smile.
As Ronald Reagan rolls over in his grave.