Politics
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Election season
“It doesn’t matter what you say you believe — it only matters what you do.” ~Robert Fulghum As if Halloween weren’t scary enough, election season is in full swing. Our mail-in ballots arrived and lawn signs are sprouting everywhere. Politicians are making promises, right and left, and I’ve been studying the issues to make sure I’m making educated choices. I’ve never trusted folks — not just politicians — who tell me what they think I want to hear. So, right now I’m asking a lot of questions. What issues are most important to my community as a whole — not just to me? How much experience do the candidates have?…
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The right to feel safe?
“I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible; to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise.” ~Dawna Markova I have tickets to an annual art fair I’ve been looking forward to all year. But for the first time ever, I’m ambivalent about making the trip. The Fourth of July shooting in Highland Park — along with other recent episodes of gun violence — has made me uneasy about attending any sort of large outdoor public event.…
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Walking our talk
“The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” ~Paulo Coelho Few things annoy me more than being judged, vilified, or bullied by a hypocrite. How often do you encounter folks who preach a rigid set of morals and values — yet their lives exemplify something else entirely? Just for starters, there’s the parent who drinks too much but punishes his underage kids for doing the same. And how about those political pundits who condemn the lifestyles of others while hiding a few dancing skeletons in their own closets? If you’re hoping to earn trust or influence others, remember that your life is telegraphing its own message every…