Standing on the corner in Tucson, Arizona

Posted on December 22, 2016 by sheilawill

Dreadlocks. A young guy holding a sign. Seeing him from across the street, I figured his sign said something like, “Need to get to Santa Fe by Christmas day.” I was wrong.

Instead, drivers or walkers leaving the El Con Mall this morning saw “Smiles are contagious,”accompanied by a smiley face drawing.

“Wow, that’s great,” I (of course) told the young man. He had been homeless for a while, he told us, adding, “People don’t smile enough.”

I wished him a “Happy 2017.”

Back home sitting at my computer, the perfect quote from a favorite children’s book showed up on Facebook. I thought about the young man with dreadlocks.

sylvesterimages-1

from “Sylvester and the Magic Pebble” by William Steig

“When they had eventually calmed down a bit, and had gotten home, Mr. Duncan put the magic pebble in an iron safe. Some day they might want to use it, but really, for now, what more could they wish for? They all had all that they wanted.”
— William Steig, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

I loved all of William Steig’s books. When I invited him to visit OZ Books, he wrote back, “Sorry I can’t turn up in Maine.” Years later, I met Steig at a booksellers’ convention. He was in his 80s, with twinkly blue eyes. He said that he remembered my letter and he kissed me on my cheek.

 I’m not in Maine anymore. The sun is out. I’m surrounded by books. We’re having dinner at the Welcome Diner with friends. Someone reminded me to smile. 

IT’S GOING TO BE A GOOD DAY.

 

Posted in Bopping Around Tucson, Mount Desert Island/Maine, Tucson Festival of Books/good books | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Sitting in my car, listening to Barack Obama (*please read to the end.)

Posted on December 18, 2016 by sheilawill

I had meant to go grocery shopping. As NPR came on the radio, I heard Barack Obama’s eloquent voice, and a realization struck me: This could be his last news conference as president. I started taking notes on my shopping list.

img_3303

First up, a multi-part question about whether Russian hacking purposely secured dt’s election.

Vulnerability to the influence of foreign powers on our elections is directly related to how well our political system works, how dysfunctional it is, our real president said. Gerrymandering and Citizens United have taken their toll on fair elections. According to a poll of Republicans (party  policy has been staunchly anti-Russian), “thirty-seven percent of Republicans approve of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. Ronald Reagan would roll over in his grave,” said Obama.

Political divisiveness rules. Some Republicans think Michelle Obama’s healthy eating program “is a greater threat to democracy than going after fake news stories.”

“I still believe what I said in 2004, that red state/blue state [dichotomies] are a construct,”  the then unknown Illinois state senator affirmed at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. I covered that convention and was lucky enough to hear Obama’s electrifying keynote.

The most decent, brilliant president of my lifetime sounded frustrated at his Friday press conference. “Do Republicans dislike Democrats so much?” he asked.

It seems that they do, enough to follow you-know-who into democratic oblivion.

Obama has always upheld the sensibilities of the American people, as have I. Who ever imagined so many people voting for such an incompetent, hateful candidate?

I’m sure our president will strive to make a difference as a private citizen: “How can we channel the decency of the American people” back into our politics?

Like so many others, I’ve been heartsick  and depressed about this election. I feel guilty about having so much good in my life, compared to more vulnerable Americans who stand to lose their newly acquired health insurance, for starters.

UC Berkeley Professor George Lakoff warns us about listening to Trump. Why give credence to such an enormous blight on our history?

Talking to my dear daughter yesterday, I made a decision. Posting dt’s photos or reading about his outrageous lies and childish distractions will only make me sick. I’ll march in Tucson on Jan. 21. I will speak out to government officials, but I will only read or post about those decent Americans who help us uphold democracy. *Please hold me to it.

 

 

Posted in Bopping Around Tucson, politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

They’ve all come to look for America…

Posted on November 12, 2016 by sheilawill

St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church was the polling place where I was assigned to work on Election Day. Thirty people lined up in the dark before we opened at 6 a.m. I would spend the next 13 hours at the “Special Situations” table.

Voters were a mixture of El Encanto residents (Gabby Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, live there), University of Arizona students who hadn’t updated their license addresses, and a few raunchy guys.

All come to look for America.

Many Pima County residents (includes Tucson) vote by mail. Ninety-five of St. Mark’s 700 registered voters dropped off their mail-in ballots on Election Day; primarily, it seemed, to  pick up “I Voted” stickers.

Early on, my co-worker and I discovered that many voters appeared as early-ballot recipients in the ledger. Which they hadn’t received, mistakenly shredded, or yes, one woman blamed her dog. They filled out provisional ballots at our “special” table. Those votes wouldn’t be counted that night.

“I wonder if it’s all Democrats” that didn’t receive their early ballots? asked one man, who waited patiently to cast his provisional. Another man insisted we were “suppressing” the vote. After a few explanations, he apologized.

I enjoyed watching the steady stream of humanity, some with babies, kids, or dogs. My favorite little group consisted of three generations of women happily voting for Hillary Clinton.

img_3260

Another little scene involved a professional-looking woman of Eastern European heritage. A Tempe address appeared on her license. My co-worker tried to explain that she needed  another I.D. with a Tucson address.

“I only want to vote for Hillary Clinton,” she declared. “I live in Tucson. I don’t understand this. I could do this job better than you!”

“Then do it,” said my co-worker, who started crying and walked away. I held on, with the help of a supervisor.

“I’m 53. Never voted before, but I’ve got to vote this time,” said another  voter with an old license.  He returned with a flyer addressed to “Registered Voters.” Not enough. “I have to vote for Trump,” he ranted, and finally came back with his lease. “I wasn’t gonna stay here but now I will because I need to vote.”

We thanked him profusely. We didn’t want him going around town complaining about rigged voting. He tried to hide a proud smile.

Seventy-seven percent of registered voters in our precinct cast ballots on Tuesday. Pima County went for Hillary Clinton 54 percent to 41 percent. Hillary won the popular vote across the nation. Today she commented about her “loss.” 

I’ll keep looking for America.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Bopping Around Tucson, For Love of History, politics | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A student of U.S. History tries to understand

Posted on November 6, 2016 by sheilawill

 

img_3259

Try walking in another person’s shoes, I always told my students. Two days before the most outlandish presidential election in my lifetime, I’m trying to understand how any decent human being could vote for Donald Trump.

I’ve been reading. The most cogent piece I’ve read about the growing disconnect between the Democratic Party and the white working class is “The Unconnected” by George Packer in the New Yorker. It’s long but worth reading if you have the time.

If you don’t, the article describes our two political parties, quoting former Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Summers: The Democratic Party is “a coalition of the cosmopolitan elite and diversity.” The Republican Party combines “social conservatism and an agenda of helping rich people.” Sounds about right.

So what makes a Trump voter? 

Working class rage — Now that I live out west and no longer live in “Yankeeland,” which extends from New England across the northern tier of the United States to South Dakota, I realize that yes, I’m part of the elite intelligentsia. I’ve never had much money. I’ve always wanted to do good.

We’ve seen the dissolution of the middle class, jobs gone awry, and working class people losing hope. Trump voters must think he gets them.

“Yeah, he’s pissed too. He’s like me.”

“Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance is worth reading. The author’s in his early 30s and identifies as a conservative Kentucky hillbilly — with a law degree from Yale.

5773c4c21900002400218748I respect his ability to think critically, the goal of  all good teaching. Consider what others may  think, not just your own views. Question yourself.

Why do Trump voters believe his nebulous promises? Last year I met a gracious, kind man who was a Trump supporter. His equally kind, gracious wife disagreed with her husband’s political views but explained that he grew up poor. Her husband had worked hard to achieve financial security. He long believed that Republican presidents were more fiscally responsible.

Not all Trump supporters are horrible misogynists, racists, liars, narcissists, crooks, cheaters, and uncontrollable loud- mouths.

What do Trump supporters hope he’ll do for them?  Make their lives more beautiful than they’ve ever imagined? Help them keep their guns?

The conservative fear that President Obama would confiscate their guns never materialized, so why do conservatives adamantly believe that Hillary will?

We all tend to listen to or read commentators  we agree with. But who swears by everything they hear or read? Is that the problem, that too many people only hear sound bytes from their favored news outlets?

The author of “Hillbilly Elegy” writes that guns and Jesus Christ are most the important things to his people. His Mamaw and Pawpaw were Democrats, until a reduction in Kentucky coal mining and good manufacturing jobs erased decent wages.

Are Trump voters so pissed because they truly believe that blacks, Hispanics, women, immigrants have taken their jobs, taken their dignity?

What do these voters think Trump will do for them? “Are you voting Trump?” by Keith Oberman is powerful. 

or this…

“…the deepest conservative insight is that justice depends on order as much as order depends on justice. So when Loki or the Joker or some still-darker Person promises the righting of some grave wrong, the defeat of your hated enemies, if you will only take a chance on chaos and misrule, the wise and courageous response is to tell them to go to hell.”  — conservative columnist Ross Douthat, NYTimes, Nov. 5

It’s been difficult for me to understand Trump’s support. Still, I imagine it helped to try. I feel better.

Plus, I had a breakthrough this morning, sitting in the hot tub following my Plates class at the gym. Hillary Clinton is going to win. The pall is lifting.

14708150_381622788844846_7676546149132222372_n

“Today’s widely held caricature of an avaricious, selfish and manipulative crook is to me just plain wrong. Sure, she compromises, she sometimes dissembles and at times her judgment has been flawed. But fundamentally she is a morally serious person whose passion for four decades has been to use politics to create a more just society. That’s her real conviction.” –Nicholas Kristof, NYTimes, Nov. 6.

I’m with her, and everyone who wants to work together to do good. It’s time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Baby Boomers, Fight wimpiness, For Love of History, politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The arc of history — and misogyny — is long

Posted on October 22, 2016 by sheilawill

I’m feeling more emotional than I expected with just two more weeks between history and the election of our first woman president.

In my lifetime! What a thrill!

Oddly enough, her opponent’s misogyny may be what finally makes women — and many men — yell out our windows, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!”

During this 2016 campaign, President Obama has repeatedly said, “Never a man or woman — Not me, not Bill, nobody — is more qualified than Hillary Clinton” to be president.

When he-who-shall-not-be-named blathers about Hillary’s presence in the political arena for 30 years, I ask, why did it have to take so long for her to become  the first female president? It’s no secret that women have had to work harder, longer, and with more (Yes!) stamina than men to scale the heights of success. Damn, we still don’t receive equal pay for equal work.

Inside the workplace, and out, women’s bodies have been groped, grabbed, and if not  subject to physical manhandling, they have too often been figuratively under men’s thumbs.

It wasn’t until the 1970s in the United States that pregnant women were allowed to teach in public schools. Women may be blamed for a groper’s behavior, because gee, if  only that “nasty woman” hadn’t worn a short sundress on a 100-degree summer day. Or, there’s the ultimate interloping of old white guys who staunchly support the “right to life” in a woman’s body. Whose life is it anyway?

Just as the 14th Amendment (my favorite!) hasn’t fully upheld “equal protection under the law” for women, the 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, didn’t assure equal voting opportunities for black men. But no such voting right was even afforded women until 50 years later, when the 19th Amendment became the law of the land in 1920.

That’s history, or herstory. The arc of history moves slowly.

But get this: A child born eight years ago will be 16 before seeing a possible non-black or non-woman president. That is YUGE!

Twenty years ago, at the National Association of Booksellers Convention, I spoke with Hillary Clinton about promoting literacy with young children. That was what we women discussed.

Very soon we will have our first woman president.

img_3237

That’s me on the left, looking somewhat out-of-it. Hillary appeared engaged, knowledgeable, and tall.

Why did it take so long? NYT columnist Paul Krugman ponders, was Hillary “coldly ambitious and calculating?”

In fact, says Krugman, “She’s been a formidable figure, and has been all along.”

Misogynists prefer to call Hillary a bitch, crook, criminal, liar or worse. She’s been investigated more times than any white male politician, with no concrete evidence of any wrongdoing, let alone a hint of evidence to “lock her up” (a favorite political phrase at her opponent’s tumultuous rallies).

Finally, we may be able to thank him for something. At the end of the third presidential debate, his disrespect brought forth thousands who are proud to stand with Hillary, encouraging us to grab the mantle of “Nasty Woman.”

Go Hillary! Women — and all decent, women-loving men — let’s join together to turn Arizona blue!

img_3236

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Fight wimpiness, politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Stronger Together: In honor of my friend Olivia

Posted on October 16, 2016 by sheilawill

We come from the era before selfies. Me and my dear friend Olivia, who turns 70 in a few weeks (I beat her by a few months).

From promoting kids’ books and reading to little ones, to supporting our now grown sons, to sharing insights about aging, we always have plenty to talk about.

She calls me Mama Bear. I think of her as The Wise one, The Truthful One. We’ve been friends for more than 25 years.

Although we don’t see each other often, she has always been there for me. I hope the same is true of me.

It was spring 2000 when Olivia visited me in Tucson. I had only been here for a few months. What did we know? We took off on a strenuous hike in the Catalinas. It was too late and too hot. Around halfway up to Romero Pools, I was sun struck. Scared, I sat under a tree. Olivia scrambled ahead to see how much farther it was to the top. She asked somebody for more water.

img_3221

But I felt safe because I was with my friend. We survived.

Olivia and I have shared hard times and good. We both received A Spirit of ABC Award (Association of Children’s Booksellers) in the late 1990s, when I closed my children’s bookstore and she sold her business.

Olivia is now the grandmother of two little boys. I’ll be the grandmother of a little boy in early 2017. I ask her what it’s like. She shares stories with me.

And she never forgets my birthday! Here’s the story-of-our-friendship bowl she created for my 60th. It means so much to me.img_3233

Olivia is a consummate artist, a quilter, a Tibetan Buddhist teacher and practitioner.

“Breathe,” she’s suggested  to me more than once, reminding me of my own power. But she doesn’t hesitate to speak up when she disagrees with me.

Olivia has an incredibly generous heart. How many years did she spend collecting pieces of fabric to create a magnificent quilt to raffle off in support of the AIDS Foundation (or was it another of the organizations she passionately supports?).

Olivia doesn’t give up on anybody or anything she cares about. Doing her best. Being genuine.

If Olivia’s afraid she still plows forward, always ready for new  growth.

14708150_381622788844846_7676546149132222372_nIf anyone knows that we’re stronger together, it’s Olivia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Baby Boomers, Family Matters, Fight wimpiness, Old friends | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Getting older, and older…

Posted on September 10, 2016 by sheilawill

I hope to live to a ripe old age. Watching the end in sight for a 91-year-old family member isn’t easy, but it’s instructive. Yes, she’s got all her paperwork in order. She can pay for an assisted living space, but she’s still unprepared.

She’s incredibly weak, has no memory, and I’ve heard her say she doesn’t want to live anymore.

I’d guess that very few people are emotionally prepared to die. Turning 70 is a wake-up call. Would I be able to off myself if I totally lost it? I have no idea. I won’t know till the time comes. Would I have preparations made for that possibility? I’m not there yet.

Back in Maine, I recall talking with dear women friends about living in a house together when our spouses or partners are gone. Hanging out on our rocking chairs, repeating our old stories, embellishing them, and surely forgetting parts. We would have a nurse in residence who would hang out with us, either on the porch overlooking the ocean, or indoors by the fire.

What a lovely idea. If I live to a ripe old age — longevity doesn’t run in my family — I want to be with people I care about. And I don’t want my children and/or grandchildren to be burdened with my care. So it’s time to start planning. Bear with me, it’s not all morose.

There’s also the upside of enjoying every little thing as we age. I feel it. No more need to feel pride at my accomplishments, care what I wear, or overly worry about which words I use.

Kate Barnes, the first poet laureate of Maine, says it well.

Future Plans
by Kate Barnes

When I am an old, old woman I may very well be
living all alone like many another before me
and I rather look forward to the day when I shall have
a tumbledown house on a hill top and behave
just as I wish to. No more need to be proud—
at the tag end of life one is at last allowed
to be answerable to no one. Then I shall wear
a shapeless felt hat clapped on over my white hair,
sneakers with holes for the toes, and a ragged dress.
My house shall be always in a deep-drifted mess,
my overgrown garden a jungle. I shall keep a crew
of cats and dogs, with perhaps a goat or two
for my agate-eyed familiars. And what delight
I shall take in the vagaries of day and night,
in the wind in the branches, in the rain on the roof!
I shall toss like an old leaf, weather-mad, without reproof.
I’ll wake when I please, and when I please I shall doze;
whatever I think, I shall say; and I suppose
that with such a habit of speech I’ll be let well alone
to mumble plain truth like an old dog with a bare bone.
“Future Plans” by Kate Barnes from Where the Deer Were. © David R. Godine, 1994. Reprinted with permission (From “Writer’s Almanac”).

If you’ve read this far, here’s the fun part: Watch this and smile.

If I live to be 90 — and don’t have to pick up dog poop — I’d love to have a husky puppy!

 

 

 

 

Posted in Baby Boomers, Family Matters, Mount Desert Island/Maine, Nature Girl | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

I’m curious about a lot of stuff…

Posted on September 7, 2016 by sheilawill

img_3194

Does my desk show that I’m curious, or sentimental, or a habitual collector, or is this photo too dark to see any of my tchotchkes (trinkets)? There’s a small ceramic head that my son made in 1st grade. There’s a cheery vase with hearts on it that says Grandma, which I bought for a quarter at a thrift shop last week.

“Be Happy. It is a way of being wise” is the message on a greeting card that my daughter once sent to me. My daughter-in-law sent a card last year with “I’d hike anywhere with you,” along with a copy of “Big Magic. Creative Living beyond Fear” by Elizabeth Gilbert. A painting of Howard Zinn on the front of The Americans Who Tell the Truth card series stares back at me, along with souvenirs from my recent trip to the other side of the world: a tiny hand-painted vase I got in Antalya, Turkey; a pencil sharpener from the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy; and a mini Buddha candle that came from somewhere.

When I was a kid growing up in Connecticut, I always asked my father if that was Texas over that next hill in the distance. I can’t remember if he humored me and said that it was. I’ve been to Texas many times since, but I still want to go to Big Bend national Park and Marfa.

I’ve hiked in Sabino Canyon many times over the last 15 years I’ve lived in Tucson. Still, I wonder what’s beyond the too-tall mountain peaks I’ll never climb at 70.

img_3191

As I get older, I’ve decided that my curiosity will keep me going (maybe I’m just nosey).

Last Saturday, walking up the Sabino Canyon road, I caught snippets of conversations.

“Hell, she reported on the life cycle of the nose, of all damn things,” one woman told her friend.

I also heard, “I’m so happy for her” and “I parked there all last year because I was always late for church.” Or this, “No one in our career has ever used that process.”

Nothing thrilling. But hell, what were they talking about? I had to know, until I heard the next snippet and was distracted.

For me, every day is a balance of focusing on my desk work, imagining what’s going on beyond my own life, and doing something social. Now we know that avoiding loneliness is a positive predictor for a long, healthy life. Also, I must look at something miraculously beautiful.

img_3193

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Baby Boomers, Family Matters, Nature Girl, The Rest of the World | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Turning 70…by plane, by car, by boat, and on my own two feet (part 3)

Posted on August 31, 2016 by sheilawill

Determined to not be on planes and in airports nonstop, I studied a map of Europe. The ultimate goal of “Sheila’s Excellent Adventure” was to visit Ethan and Steph in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (Watch for my story in the November issue of Desert Leaf).

I had six flights in and out of Istanbul. Venice was only a two-hour flight. Italy was high on my travel list and I had never set foot in the land of delicious food and wine, art and history.

IMG_2719

A selfie taken in front of the Doge’s Palace in Piazza San Marco, which was packed with people walking around with selfie sticks. Were they seeing what was around them? 

I loved getting lost walking Venice’s maze of streets, sipping on frequent glasses of $3 Prosecco (the best bargain), admiring the distinctive buildings. But it was way too crowded. And it was late May, not even summer yet.

IMG_2709IMG_2778

My evening spot close to the hotel, so I wouldn’t get lost. I wrote at this perfect little desk, watching people who knew where they were going walk by.

While I’m on the subject of food…breakfast at the homey Hotel Alla Fava included freshly squeezed carrot/orange juice, homemade honey/wheat croissants and coffee cakes primped by the in-house baker. And of course, my choice of cappuccino, latte, or espresso.

IMG_2750

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection called to me with its incredible view, its Magritte paintings, and a peek into a life of elegance and upper-class privilege, so unlike my own.

IMG_2761

Front door of Peggy’s former home looks out at the Grand Canal

Wait. a. minute. I. was. in. Venice.  Magic land. I did it. I was so proud of myself!IMG_2756

Still, I needed more quiet, fewer people. So I hopped on a boat to the outer islands for a day, which made me feel at home. I spent three nights in Venice before setting out across the Atlantic, back to Boston where Dan would pick me up and we would head to Southwest Harbor for two months.

Since I’ve been home I’m often struck by how places remind me of other places. Take a calming boat ride in Venice, or catch the ferry to Little Cranberry Island behind my house in Maine. My trip made me feel more a part of the whole big world. I like that.

IMG_2751

Bye bye Venice! 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Fight wimpiness, Food/happy hours, The Rest of the World | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Turning 70…by plane, by boat, by car, and on my own two feet (part 1)

Posted on August 19, 2016 by sheilawill

kas1Lounging by the Mediterranean in Kas, Turkey.

I left my home in Tucson, Arizona, on May 3. Since our return to Tucson this week, so many friends have asked, “Where exactly did you go?”

First, three days in Boston, my old stomping ground. Then on to Turkey, where I flew from Istanbul to Antalya to visit friends.  We saw incredible ancient ruins. We hung out at the gorgeous Boegenville hotel in Kas for three days.

IMG_2322

And Greece was so close. How could I pass up ferrying over to the small island of Kastelorizo for a quick visit?

This photo — taken on Kastelorizo — may look like a cover on Conde Nast Traveler, but I took it with my iPhone. Snoozing on those chairs was perfect after a mid-afternoon fish dinner in the sun. (A boy, around 10 years old, had bicycled to the restaurant where we were sipping wine. He turned over his catch to the proprietor). FullSizeRender

How did people create this intricate art thousands of years ago? IMG_2317

Back in Antalya after our little road trip, I loved the luxurious Turkish breakfasts prepared by my gracious hosts. “If there aren’t tomatoes, feta, cucumbers, nuts, and olives, it just doesn’t feel like breakfast,” my friend’s father said.

I loved Turkey. There was so much more I wanted to see. Someday, I will.

Following a week in Antalya I returned to Istanbul, my hub for six flights during the 3 1/2 weeks I was out of the United States.

I was on my own again. Headed to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Please watch for that story in the November issue of Desert Leaf.

 

 

 

Posted in Baby Boomers, Fight wimpiness, The Rest of the World | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments