Open Letter to My Kids: Saved Electronically For When They Are Older and Actually Care About What I Was Thinking About This Historic Election Eve

Last weekend on the way back to Homer from Anchorage, I shared with Sharon and Irene that one of the disappointments I have in life is that I was not born soon enough to see the world communities in their authentic state.

For instance, I envy that Kate Finn was in Kathmandu before it was electrified; Cows blocked traffic, the smell of smoke from the fires hung in the air, and the sleeping city came to life with the sun.

I wonder what Bali was like when a backpacker could sleep under the tree in the village without being disturbed by the Hindu villagers or go to the Monkey Temple for the ceremony without hundreds of other tourists standing around them snapping photos.

I wonder what it was like to travel in Asia when no one spoke English. What was it like when we could go to Europe and have to speak the European languages because no one spoke English? I remember when we could go to Mexico and use pesos and watch as people strolled around the square in the evening. Last time I was there (granted it was only for the day) we were encouraged to use US dollars.

Then I realized that I did see something authentic in my youth. Because I was in the states, I could drive around and be in different places. I know what you are thinking, "Of course, you drive from one place to the next, you are going to be in different places."

No, it used to be different. We would drive from Sacramento to San Francisco and my mother would make us dress for it. When we were in San Francisco we ATE San Francisco, we walked San Francisco, we were in a different place. When we went to Modesto, we were looking at grape vineyards and feed lots. When we drove across the country, the states were different and we took pictures of the state lines and we ate at little restaurants and we listened for different accents.

I realized you won't be able to have this experience. You go from one place to the next and the airports are all the same with the same shops and same restaurants. Where ever we land, the same restaurants are there; Chili's, TGIFridays, Red Robin, McDonald's, ect. The cars are the same. The buildings look different, but the traffic around them is the same. People are in their vans watching movies.

Yea, it's really been an emotionally heavy fall for me. So much thinking, so much death and hostility and division everywhere I turn.

Right in the middle of our bedtime ritual tonight (read this to mean: me fighting with Falcom to go to bed. Me convincing Marina she needs sleep. Me telling DeeJay not to stay up to late. Me watching Willie follow DeeJay around.) I got a call from Senator Ted Stevens asking me to listen to his electronic town hall meeting. I decided to listen and what I heard was so disheartening. They were whining. "I was wronged in that courthouse!" and "What will we do if that other party wins the presidency and the congress!" "What will we do?"

Hello! Do what we always do! Continue to exist! Continue to thrive! It will swing back, just like it always does. Doesn't anyone remember the Republicans running everything after Clinton left? I can't stand that whining when I know of so much real suffering (Grandpa says he can't retire now, for instance.) and I had to hang up.

So, I sat at this computer thinking of blog music, since Halloween is now gone, and the theme for the week is of course elections and I searched for voting music and what I got was this incredible under culture of Obama music.

Heavy dark music coming from different places all across the country. Wow!

These artists grandparents and parents faced serious discrimination, just a couple of decades ago. And now look what they are expressing from their areas of the country. What will it be like for them if Obama wins? What will it do for street kids?

Will the country be like what the Lincoln Presidential Library Museum describes? With so many dark days? So many arguing voices? What will happen to the country if McCain wins? Will the under current that created these songs up swell? If they don't, why shouldn't they? These songs keep saying, "I have not been represented by this current administration and I'm sick of it."

It made me realize how when we sit at this computer we get to go someplace different, and see something different, and feel something different. Our horizons become broader because of it.

It gave me hope for you kids, that you too will have the opportunity to experience something unique and authentic in your lives. But don't get any ideas. You won't be getting more computer time...not for a very long time...