Welcome to Remembering Moments in History

I remember sitting in my history classes throughout my school aged years hearing stories about the events my teachers lived through. Modern historical events like the Kennedy assassination, the fall of the Berlin wall, Vietnam, and going back further the Depression and the attack on Pearl Harbor. Young me often wondered how I would have reacted to those events. What would I have done? What would I remember?

Would I have been on the National Mall to see MLK speak?

I've written a bit about my experience of 9/11 and the days that followed on this blog. It was (if not the biggest than one of) a major life event for me. I remember the day vividly. I remember the following week vividly. You can read more about that here.

But 9/11 wasn't the only major event that happed on the national and even international stage to shape my life. And now I can add the events that took place on Wednesday to that ever growing list.

Some days I forget how young I was when 9/11 happened. That teenagers sitting in their history classes are learning about it the same way I learned about the fall of the Berlin wall. Their teachers probably told them where they were or what they were doing when the first plane hit the World Trade Center the same way my history teacher talked about hearing that Kennedy had been shot while sitting in their history class.

A few months ago, I mentioned to my dad how many unprecedented and historic events my generation (the Millennials) had lived through. My dad laughed and said that his generation (the Boomers) had also seen a lot more on top of what we were going through. He then told me how on the day the Vietnam war ended, his father decided to ring the bell at the seminary - which then led to more bells ringing all across the city of Lancaster. That was how my grandfather wanted to acknowledge the end of the war. I almost hope to hear bells ringing once the wars on terror finally end.

The United States has been at war most of my life. Teenagers have never known the United States to not be at war. I forget that fact - often. Have I just grown numb to it?

I think the first big international event that I can remember is when Princess Diana died. I was very young, at an age where memories are more likely to be forgotten than formed. I had no idea who she was, but I knew that mom was very upset that she had died. 

Two years later, the Columbine high school massacre occurred. My main memory from that event is my teacher bowing her head to pray, tears in her eyes.

Right after 9/11 was the DC sniper in 2002. By this point in my life I still believed that adults had all the answers and would protect us kids. As time went on and more people died, I lost that faith. When teachers and school administrators tell your friends walking between their outdoor classrooms to "use the buddy system" so as to not be killed by a sniper, it becomes obvious that adults have no idea what they're doing.

At some point in the early 2000s (also after 9/11), I remember being worried for my cousin in the military going to war. I didn't want him to be deployed into an active combat zone, especially after all the war movies I'd grown up watching on World War 2. My cousin was deployed. Other members of my family have been deployed. One of my distant cousins died - it was suspected to have been by friendly fire.

The Virginia Tech massacre happened just before my birthday. Three days later a bomb threat was called into my school. Tension was high.

My friends and developed a thick skin to tragedy and often joked our own mortality. We learned early that bad things happen and there's nothing anyone will do about it.

I cried my eyes out when I saw the news on Sandy Hook. I had just gotten back from studying from my finals. My roommate and I talked about it for a bit. Sharing stories on what the kids had gone through, what they had survived.

Wednesday's insurrection was historical. If I had been asked as a teenager in high school whether or not something like that could happen in the United States, I'd have laughed and firmly said no. I've grown up a lot since then. I've learned more and come to understand things in different ways.

A lot of people saw this coming. A lot of people tried to warn others that this was likely to happen.

On Wednesday during the insurrection, I took my dad to a doctor's appointment. While I sat in the waiting area, I scrolled through Twitter - getting updates live. I was stunned, but sadly not surprised. I let the people in the office know what was going on in real time. Dad and I watched the live coverage once we got home. It was so much worse than seeing the BLM protestors getting gassed so the President could hold a Bible upside down in front of St. Johns Church. 

I know where I was and what I was doing on Wednesday.

I probably won't ever forget it. And neither will most Americans.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me*.

Until next week.

*If you bully, taunt, spread hate speech, or threaten in my comments section, I reserve the right to delete them. This is not censorship.

Welcome to Weddings in the Time of COVID

 This past month, I participated in two weddings. For one I attended in person as a bridesmaid. For the other, I was able to watch the ceremony via a Zoom video link. 

I was equally thrilled to attend both. 

I've seen a number of my friends celebrate major mile stones on Facebook recently. I've seen posts about engagements, marriages, baby showers, major birthdays, graduations, and, unfortunately, even a few funerals. Some of these events are in-person, some are only over the internet, others are a mix.

The wedding I attended in person was outside and everyone (except the bride, groom, and officiant) wore masks the entire time. We were able to dance, but, again, masks were always on and we kept our distances. The favors included hand sanitizer and another mask. 

No flowers were thrown. Sparklers couldn't be lit. But the wedding planner provided everyone a stick with colored ribbon to wave as the bride and groom left the ceremony. It still felt like a normal wedding, just with a lot less people and a few minor changes that Instagram or Pinterest might list as a new wedding trend.

Which a lot of this might become. 

Weddings (well any event really) can be expensive and a lot of personalities can cause unnecessary drama. Only allowing a limited number of people at the actual event would likely help the happy couple out a lot. 

Attending a wedding ceremony via Zoom is also really nice. 

I felt included and honored to be a part of my friend's big day. I'll admit that the lack of stress trying to get to the wedding on time was really nice (I've been late to many weddings, coming in just as the bride walks down the isle). Certainly, I'll miss seeing them in person, but I can call them later and mail them a present.

I did something similar for a baby shower I was invited to (though there I was having some technical difficulties and missed most of it).

We as a society want things to go back to "normal" - whatever that means to you - but the reality is, "normal" isn't coming back any time soon. We likely adopt some of these new practices for future events (especially the Zoom stream option).

It's good for us to have these celebrations, even if there are a number of limitations. 

Many years into the future, we'll be sitting down with the next generation or the one after that and looking at our old Facebook timelines when a memory will annoyingly pop up. The kids will see the pictures and they might ask us why everyone at the wedding was wearing fancy masks that covered their mouth and nose. And we'll tell them about the virus that stopped the world in it's tracks and likely changed the course of history.

These pictures are going to end up in history books. They'll be right next to the ones showing the doctors and nurses working hard to save lives. Adjacent to the protestors in masks marching in the streets demanding justice and change. Below the ones of long lines at the polling stations. 

COVID-19 isn't the end of our way of life, but a new beginning that allows new adaptations when we are faced with the toughest of times.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to...2020 Sucks

I've heard it said that there are some decades where nothing happens and no history is made, and sometimes the history of a decade occurs in a single year. I'm convinced that I am living through one of those times.

I think this street art from Iceland somewhat reflects what I'm feeling.

I mean, I've lived through a number of major historical events, but the year of our existence 2020 seems to take the cake. I think the tone of the year (and maybe the whole decade) was set when I woke up on the first day of the year to #worldwar3 trending on Twitter. Also Australia was on fire.

Come March, everything is on lock down, followed quickly by mass layoffs and demands to "reopen the country". Stress and anxiety have been at an all time high since. I know it's been affecting me because I've been struggling to write and paint. When I do finally sit down to focus on creating something, my mind gets stuck. I either can't finish what I start or am completely dissipated with the end result.

I still try.

In the middle of all the stupidity around people breaking quarantine and lock down procedures, a video of a woman in Central Park asserting her dominance over a black man by threatening to call the police on him...when she was the person in the wrong. She faced a lot of backlash - rightfully deserved, but some of the follow up to her actions have been disheartening (the dog rescue that took her dog after she strangled the poor boy, eventually gave the dog back).

A few days later, a video of George Floyd being murdered by police went viral. Part of me can't help noticing the timing of the two videos. The woman Central Park wasn't just threatening a black man with arrest, but possible violence from the police.

Protests have continued since and we've learned the names Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain who'd both been killed by police prior to George Floyd. Now there is a federal police presence in Portland, and more coming to cities across the country.

I've watched a lot of videos and seen pictures from the protests and the damage caused by rubber bullets and tear gas. I watched on live TV while protesters were cleared from Lafayette Square so the president could hold up a bible (upside down) in front of St. Johns Church.

Part of me feels that November can't come soon enough, part of me is worried that it won't matter.

At least the president finally said that people should wear masks. The reports of people catching COVID-19 after his rallies was worrisome. A few people have talked about being yelled at by strangers for wearing masks and being "sheep" or perpetuating a hoax.

COVID-19 is not a hoax. Wear a mask.

At least the murder hornet plot point that popped up in May has since vanished. Though I put nothing past what could happen in 2020.

When I started out this year, I was hopeful and optimistic. I wasn't in the best place in my life and thankfully some things have gotten a lot better. However the same can't be said for a lot of other people.

In the coming weeks, without a viable plan, mass evictions are likely to start. People (especially minorities and women) would end up on the streets without anywhere safe to go. This isn't just the usual amount of bad. This is the type of bad that could drastically increase their odds of catching COVID-19. More people are going to die if our government doesn't create a stimulus plan that includes renters, people who are food insecure, and anyone out of work.

There are a lot of terrible things happening in the world right now. It's tempting to delete my social media, turn off the news, and bury my head in the sand and pretend everything will be alright. I'll probably be alright, but the world doesn't revolve around me.

It's tough to know what to do when faced with everything going on. I often feel helpless in the face of so many problems. I feel I can't do a lot to help due to the virus, but I have been writing to my elected officials and donating money when I can. I try to stay informed with what is going on and educating others. These are small things, but maybe these small things will pile up until they have enough momentum to create real change.

2020 sucks.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Until next week.