Making adjustments, a retirement party and getting back into the routine–sort of

Posted By: David Fortier June 4, 2023

By David Fortier 

Come Sunday morning, the family is navigating the passing of Nana. Every day is a little different now. We do the best we can.

***

It was a short week after the Memorial Day holiday. Unlike other “short” weeks, this one sped by. Typically, or at least in my experience, “short” weeks, because of the expectation—it’s a day short, right–”last” much longer. Expectations change our experience of time. 

This “short” week, however, as I said earlier, was over before it started. One of the reasons might have been that on Friday, my colleagues at the high school put together a retirement party for two of us—yes, I am one of the retirees—and my immediate family, with the exception of the one in Australia and Mary, who was in session and couldn’t get away, were all there. 

For these occasions, the retirees make a speech, preferably a short one, which I had intended, but my emotions got the better of me and when the youngest grandchild, a 17-month-old, liberated himself from mom and scrambled up to the podium—the sweetest thing ever—I really got off script.  

Part of me worries that I might have committed some thank-you speech faux pas. (I am certain I did.) Another part is certain that the grandchild intervention will have righted any wrong. 

*** 

An item on the national scene that deserves at least being mentioned in passing is the agreement resolving the debt ceiling debacle. There are layers to this that are being missed in the initial media reports. I hope people will stay tuned to get a more complete picture. But, wait, hold on, we are on to the 2024 presidential race and Republican candidates are lining up for the Iowa caucuses, so any better grasp of what is happening will require just that—more will from everyday readers. 

As for the 2024 presidential race, the type of reporting we become accustomed to from the national outlets pretty much treats the candidates the same way they do celebrities and athletes—they focus on the drama rather than the substance. For politics, substantial reporting would mean getting into the weeds to discuss each candidate’s actual policies and what they mean for people, like you and me. We can only hope. 

And remember we have our own municipal elections this coming November. Remember to stay tuned. Maybe TBE can model some good reporting for the national media. 

*** 

Reading/listening for this week: On the one hand, reading continues to be articles that I catch on the fly, from news reports to opinion pieces to New Yorker and Atlantic reports. On the other, I have started a non-fiction book, “Love & Math” by Edward Frenkel, that I heard about on a podcast. I like math, but somewhere along way this affinity got turned around, and now I think I would like to start dabbling a little, maybe, starting with some algebra problems. 

As for fiction, I am still under the thrall of Olivia Butler, so when the oldest recommended a protege of hers and how he has just finished the first two books in a series of three by that protege, N.K. Jemisin, I asked to borrow the books. They are in the Broken Earth Series, specifically, Book I—The Fifth Season: Every Age Must Come To An End, and Book II – The Obelisk Gate. I will keep you posted. 

Most of the podcasts I have been listening to are really involved, as I shared last week, so this week I returned to an old favorite, and the topic could not be more pertinent. The On the Media podcast from this week features several segments on the U.S. Supreme Court. The first is “The Supreme Court is in Crisis. Here’s How the Press Should Cover It.” Click here for the episode. The second is “The Shaky Challenge Against Student Debt Relief.” Click here for the episode. The segments are around 20 minutes each and each is worth every minute. 

 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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