You'll just have to forgive the fact that I've become completely sporadic about posting. I find that in order to keep the details of my daily life organized enough to be able to stand it...I simply have to give up things I want to do. Like, for example, unload the contents of my very disheveled brain onto you.
The past week has been a weird one. I know I'm not alone in this perception. The world was captivated by the spectacle of a Royal Wedding. Billions (??) of people, worldwide, sat glued to their television sets to watch the heir to the British throne marry a commoner. An uncommonly beautiful one, but still. On Sunday night, we had friends for dinner and discussed how the wedding really brought out the Patriotism of the British people. It was amazing to see the throngs of people lining the streets of London to steal a glimpse of the bride or witness the first kiss in person. I watched a bit of the lead-in and post commentary (I confess I thought it seemed a little bit like the pre-game show for the Superbowl married to the red-carpet lead-in on E!) and was both fascinated and revolted by the regalia and the excesses. Nobody can argue that the Brits know how to throw a wedding. I saw a pensioner wearing plastic, slotted sunnies emblazoned with the Union Jack, and a toddler wearing an enormous top hat. My kids got bored early (they couldn't understand the accent of the vicar, and didn't know any of the hymns) and kept popping in to ask, "did they kiss, yet?". Drama also offered her advice to the junior bridesmaids (us Americans would have called them flower girls): she said they should have tried harder to look like they weren't scared or mopy. I confess to copping to a giant girl-crush on Pippa....and total dress-envy. And The Husband and I were saying that we don't really have anything like a Royal Wedding to pull us together as a people. Sadly, the last time we remember a giant surge of truly unified Patriotism was in the days following September Eleventh.
The following morning, I went out to meet a friend to work out and when we arrived back at her place, we watched the breaking news on CNN and learned that the US military had found and assassinated Osama Bin Laden. As I stood at watched our President give his speech, my first thought was that this might be the unifying event that the US needs to bring our people together. My second thought was that I was going to have to find a way to talk to my kids about terrorism, military events and sanctioned assassinations. Oy.
I do have a political lean. I do get all fired up and fiesty and I definitely do have a strong sense of right and wrong. Not everybody is going to agree with what I think or say or do...and that's okay with me. On Monday afternoon (a public holiday here in Hong Kong), we were guests of friends for lunch and we were invited to share a bottle of champagne to toast the End of Terrorism, or at least the end of an era. I happily raised my glass, but as the day wore on it occurred to me that celebration in the streets over the death of the Leader of a violent religious group is just exactly what the followers of said Violent Leader would encourage his followers to do. I've gone on record with friends asserting my horror at the images of the Statue of Liberty holding the severed head of Osama Bin Laden. I don't think it's Awesome. I think it is sick and horrifying. And I don't want my kids to think that murdering anyone, anywhere, ever...will ever be the Right thing to do. This is not meant to say that what the government did is wrong or that our soldiers weren't heroic or incredible or that accomplishing the mission that was ordered of them isn't impressive. I stole a Martin Luther King quote for my Facebook Status on Monday night, after I'd sat with sweet Drama (my very, very sensitive child) and tried to explain September Eleveth, Terrorism, Military Action and People Who Hate Each Other. It's not easy.
I have read a number of posts and articles about why it's right to celebrate or how we can justify this action because the world is a better place without him...and I have a hard time arguing with every point. The world probably is better without him. But we'd all be really ignorant to believe that there aren't another 10 or 20 trained Muslim insurgents waiting to take his place. In fact, there is probably a child Trouble's age being trained to kill in the name of Allah. It all just makes me very, very sad. I have a good friend that went to enormous lengths, and deep religious thought to come up with what she said to her children. And she was so poignant. But I couldn't even get on board with everything she said. I won't ever be able to make my kids feel safe in a world where I know we're not always safe. But it won't keep me from trying. I went with the less is more strategy, and I continue to answer questions and talk to her as she thinks about things. Trouble, being Trouble...doesn't seem to have noticed anything going on and isn't asking. I suspect she thinks it's a cartoon like Despicable Me.
So this week, I got to talk about wedding etiquette and sea burials with my kids. And it was weird. I am very, very grateful for the fact that we've had a new puppy in our house to distract us. But that's a Whole Other Oprah. And with that I'm going to try to coerce said puppy to do his business out of doors.
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