Snow and Politics

Reading the posts on Facebook Tuesday night and watching the faces of students and staff on Wednesday morning, one would think that (A) America has gone down the tubes or (B) We've made a wondrous turn for the better.

Isn't it up to the 300 million Americans who don't occupy the Oval Office to make their communities, schools, churches, homes, etc. better? It's not all on the shoulders of one person, although, to be sure, the nation's leadership affects our moods, outlook, and activism.

All that said, I don't want to head into a political rant. Instead, I'd like to celebrate the first snow of the year. My children were dancing in excitement. Students in the hallway were shouting. Greg, Blake, Dylan, and I stepped outside to revel in the first tiny flakes.

Politics change, whether in the realms of Idealism or Realpolitik. So, too, the seasons change. Long before our Constitution was even drafted, snow fell in the three mountain ranges--Selkirk, Cabinet, and Purcell--that define the valley where I live. Snow fell in these mountains before they were named by English speaking peoples.  We look forward, we look back, on Presidential potential and Presidential blunder, on powder days and breakable crust. And, whether it's in civic duty or breaking the skin track, real rewards only come after work.

The Kootenai River Run--June 14, 2008

I have a race entry form linked on my wiki: http://mrbonnellswiki.pbwiki.com