Friday Fragments: Impeachment Trials and Other Types of Insights

As another week ends, let me capture some disparate ideas that may or may not come together into a larger cohesive idea--or not.

--I feel like I should be writing more about the impeachment trial, an event which seems to have historic significance but will make no difference at all.  I have been following loosely, which means I've been reading a lot of analysis.  Last night as I drove home I listened to the trial and was astonished at how civil people seemed (writing questions on note cards!--a brilliant way of keeping a modicum of order and control) and how capable of speaking extemporaneously as they answered questions.

--As I drove home, I also thought about Chief Justice John Roberts--I don't always agree with him, but I tend to like him and trust him.  He's got very long days this week and last.  Does he say, "I did not ascend through the court system for this!"  Or does he say, "I was born for this time in history!"  Maybe some of both.

--As I work past sundown, I can see through the windows of the mixed martial arts building across the street.  It's often a charming view:  little children in their white, baggy uniforms, going through their katas.  I often see them in a circle, and their movements look more like interpretive dance than self-defense.

--I have an idea for a poem that I don't want to lose:  Jesus takes the kids to mixed martial arts class.

--One of my high school friends is cleaning out his parents' house after his father died this month.  He's posting interesting pictures to Facebook, pictures primarily of artifacts of his youth.  It's strange to me to realize how these things have such an ancient look, even though I've got some similar stuff in my boxes.

--My sister-in-law is packing up her boxes to move back to Memphis.  We all agree that having her in the cottage has been a great experience, even with a damaging flood.  She's moving back because her true love lives in Memphis, and it makes more sense for them to live there than here.  I wish her well.  I will miss her.

--What I have loved most about having her close is how easy it's been to have a meal together.  It doesn't take weeks of planning.  It doesn't take hours of driving.

--I realize that I don't have lots of time left on the earth, but part of me wishes that I had more time to experiment with the type of communal living that I've always thought would work best:  small cottages around a communal building.  This experience with my sister-in-law living in the cottage makes me think this approach could work.

--This week I've been successful at journaling at work--not every day, but I've seized the opportunity when I could.  I've also used the Poet Tarot Deck (more on this process in this blog post):

--And now I must get ready for spin class.