Four Years

So according to Ye Olde Instagram, my first social media post as “Odd Pegs Woodworking” was on September 25, 2020. Makes sense, as that was when my town decided to throw some money at me to build a big blue dragon (once again, City of Melrose, thank you for taking a chance on me) and prior to that, I was just the local weirdo with a large red demon and a hulking green ogre in his front yard. But since I was now An Artist, I needed some sort of social media presence.

Of coursed, this is what I considered “Putting your best foot forward”:

I won’t say it has changed my life dramatically, as last time I checked I still have to work a day job and there is not a waiting list for giant wooden monsters and/or custom furniture. But it gives a little more creative purpose, and yes, from time to time I do get paid to do this. As far as expensive hobbies go, it’s probably on par with playing in a rock band. And while I don’t get drink tickets, there’s also less a chance that AI will start muscling in on my territory.

But I digress.

What also happened four years and 50 days ago was we were heading into an election. I did not like Trump before he was a candidate and I did not like him as a candidate. When he was elected, I was dismayed, distraught, and disillusioned, but it was what it was, so I assumed the worst and hoped for the best.

From my vantage point, it was abysmal, and it culminated with his failure to lead this nation through the pandemic. It was an unprecedented event in my lifetime and was a test of his leadership. How you respond in a crisis is a true measure of your character.

What we got was ingesting bleach and injecting horse medicine.

So four years and two days ago, we voted him out. He cried foul and then incited a riot.

But you know all this. And you know what happened next.

Four days ago, after another undignified campaign filled with some of the worst “Get the fuck out of here, he said what?” nonsense, we went to the polls and voted him back in. Biden was disliked immensely and Harris, for all her star power, couldn’t break free of the association.

I get that. Groceries are stupid expensive and have been for awhile. You blame the people in charge, which is the risk of being in charge.

What I still struggle with is the choice we as a nation made. We looked at the worst we had to offer and thought he represented us best. Overwhelmingly so, I might add. This was not a contested election.

But if eggs cost a lot now, how much are they going to cost over the next four years?

Is the price of eggs worth a woman’s right to choose?

Is the price of eggs worth the accelerated decline of our environment?

Is the price of eggs worth rolling back the meager progress we’ve made for LGBTQ+ folks?

Is the price of eggs worth a government that will absolutely be used as one man’s personal cudgel against anyone he perceives as his enemy?

Is the price of eggs worth entrusting our country to a man who is incapable of accepting responsibility when things go wrong?

Is the price of eggs worth the next four years of lickspittles and hucksters lining up to the trough and getting fat at the rest of our expense?

Is the price of eggs worth the next four years of chaos?

Switching metaphors, are we the frog trusting the scorpion or are we just the frog swimming happily in the pot that’s slowly coming to a boil?

Or for you religious types, have we opted to worship the golden calf?

I do not know. But on Wednesday I grieved for myself and my family and for all those who saw Trump for who he truly is and then went back to work. My daughter’s new loft bed, dresser, and desk are not going to build themselves, and there’s probably less than a month left before I have to close up the shop (then again, global warming had it at a brisk 80° earlier this week). After months of devouring the news and spending too much time on social media, I’m spending more time reading (the new James S. A. Corey book, The Mercy of Gods, is really good but it took me awhile to get past the fact that it was so not The Expanse related, it might have well been the work of another author), and I’m going to get back to writing.

If you’re celebrating the election, good for you. I hope the price of eggs is worth the eventual cost.

If you’re feeling adrift, find your joy and keep it alive. If you have creative passions, stay true to them. Surround yourself with all the good in the world you can find. Bring a light into the next four years and make it shine like nothing we’ve ever seen.

I look forward to the day when I do not have to work with a mansard roof

I also look forward to a day when we put a higher premium on basic human decency.