By David Fortier 

Come Sunday morning, the hope is the cardinal that has been outside our bedroom window will still be there to greet us, the cardinal along with the robins, house sparrows and chimney swifts. I only know this because I have the Cornell Lab’s Merlin app on my cell phone. The app is a marvel (and it’s free and available for both Apple and Android phones). It allows you to identify a bird by photo or sound. 

The cardinal doesn’t necessarily make a pretty sound, but it is recognizable and there is some comfort in what is recognizable. I am thinking this because there is enough going on at the moment, between the Jan. 6 hearings and the recent Supreme Court decisions, to throw things out of kilter, and these should get us to sit up, no matter where our politics lay on any measuring stick.  

I am not going to say the decisions haven’t shifted the earth under my feet, they have. What I will say, and I am guessing this will be true Sunday morning, is that I will still be reeling a bit and the way I deal with this reeling is to step back and slow down and take time to consider. Listening to the birds in the morning as I rise is simply a comfort, a reminder that as much as things have shifted, they remain the same.  

I guess that means the world is not perfect, it never will be. At the same time, it is ours to settle in on the work that needs to be done, needs to be done to make things more palatable and livable, for all and not just a few.  

I realize that is somewhat oblique, but I look at this as the in-between time—the time between finding out that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, finding out that guns have fewer restrictions (according to the Supreme Court decision) but also there are more curbs on gun ownership (according to the new gun laws passed in Congress and led by our own U.S. Senators), and even finding out that someone in your family is terminally ill, the finding out of anything, and the time between determining what is next. 

I call this “the Pause.” (Not my coinage, but from the annuals of American education and John Dewey.) My daughter-in-law, who is an educator and writer, brought this to my awareness in a conversation about her own studies. Essentially, “the Pause” is necessary to learn anything. As human beings, our brains require a moment not only to absorb a concept but to, and this is my thinking, assimilate it in all its various forms. Enough said. 

And during the week, I spent three days babysitting the 6-month-old—a joy. How fun to take a walk and see the expression on his face as he takes in the sights and sounds. And then is nothing more fun than to sit on the front porch listening to the distant whistle of the trains and have him respond with his own rendition of the train’s whistle. And of course, the enjoyment is not limited to these. When big brother comes home from daycare, well, there is a whole lot more to enjoy. 

We, at TBE, continue to encourage readers to become financial supporters with a small monthly donation of your choice. I understand that some people might be a bit concerned that Mary is running for state representative in the 79th district and that I am covering government stories (not those that have to do with her, if it can be helped) and that this means I am taking sides. I get it.  

There isn’t much I can say to allay those fears, expect this: 1) A story is a story and it needs to be brought to the attention of the public (I do my best to remain neutral) and 2) this will change when enough supporters come forth and the income allows us to hire reporters to cover politics. For far too long, local news coverage has skirted issues that are important to readers, and now readers have trouble distinguishing between what deserves attentions and what many term, hit jobs. 

For this week’s reading and listening, a rather esoteric one, “Robert Harrison on Depression,” from Harrison’s podcast, Entitled Opinions. Click here. And another that is on palm oil from the London Review of Books Podcasts. Click here.  

Enjoy! 

“Come Sunday morning” is intended to be a weekly review, a recounting of the past week and an anticipation of week to come. Among its features will be reviews of old and new books, sharing of favorite podcasts, some family news, Bristol events and happenings and issues surrounding education, work and community journalism. He can be reached at dfortier@bristoledition.org    

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