The Pursuit of Happiness.

I am sick of talking about the fires.

For the record. The fires came very close to our house. The fire men and women protected all of us in the neighborhood. We are going to do something nice for them. Yes, it is really smoky.. still.. and will be for a couple of weeks. Yes, my husband ..still.. has things packed and sitting by the door. If you want to see his video of it all go to jukeboxtahini.blogspot.com (You will also hear some really fine music.)

But, we are good. Our house will not burn down this time. Oh, and besides, it is just a house. We have insurance. We have each other. We don't collectively have our health, but that is another issue entirely, and a more problematic issue than a fire (even one as big as this) will ever be.

Home is with the people you love. Home is a state of being, not a place. Home is not a house. Home is where you want to be, all the time. My home is the entire state of California. My family lives in California. I'd be happy just about anywhere here... with the people I love.

Other things are happening. Is Obama going to abandon us to the Republican far right? Has he forgotten who elected him? We need health care reform. I speak from long long years of experience. Long long telephone calls. Ridiculous requirements and expensive premiums. We, personally, spend so much on health care our net income is ridiculously and embarrassingly small. I get excited when Ralph's (a local grocery store) sends me my "Ralph's Rewards." Coupons for things we buy and $9.oo in groceries. Yay! However will I spend that nine bucks? Maybe some nice fruit. Maybe a ham. mmm, ham. Our very personal world becomes smaller every day, and the politicians haggle and kowtow to the insurance companies. Obscene. I'm sick to death of this topic too. I don't understand why our elected reps are such pussies. Do what is right! Do it now! Stop bringing religion or race or immigrants into the discussion. WE are all people of one planet. Do what is right! Do these people need an ethics lesson? Do they need a slap in the face? Do they collectively need to come down with multiple sclerosis to understand or to care?

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Hmm. Life. Seems like health care would fall under that heading. Liberty has been rapidly disappearing and devolving since Bush came into office. It may have started with Reagan. The Pursuit of Happiness, well, we have the right to pursue our dreams, things that make us happy. I like that that responsibility falls to the individual. Although. Seems like we need to create an environment where one can pursue happiness. Much like I need to create an environment where actors and directors can pursue the truth in a piece of theatre. If we promise the opportunity to pursue our dreams, we must create a path where that option is possible. (Education comes to mind.)

The incompetence of Congress is discouraging. The evil self-serving nature of the health care discussion is disgusting. The stupidity is beyond belief. It all makes me a little nauseous. I find I do lose hope. So, I turn it around and put faith and hope, all, back into my little world.

We look to ourselves because there is no help out there. We work longer and harder. We take the joy that we can find. We share pictures of flowers and disaster. We drive to the redwoods. We move forward. We reach out. We find hope again in our friends, neighbors and family. We pursue our dreams. We pursue happiness.