on "having the courage of [my] convictions" . . .

Of all the advice that my mother has given me over the years, this is the one I most associate with her, the one that I have truly made my own. I remember thinking as a child, adolescent, teen, young adult that what she really meant was that I should have the courage of her convictions. She probably did . . . But, from the time I first stood up for what I deeply believed (I was five), I have drawn strength from my own.

My father always took time from work to vote on election day. He always voted--with the exception of DDE (Daddy couldn't find it in himself to vote for a divorced man)--Democrat . . . straight party ticket, or at least that is what I've always believed. My mother's example shaped me more. She did not become an American citizen until I was in college--and we still agree on almost nothing political in nature--but I was moved, even as a child, with her voting--absentee ballot and always making sure we saw her example--in the French elections. Charles de Gaulle was her hero . . . as John F. Kennedy would be, ever so briefly, mine.

Which brings me, I guess, to the topic of this commentary--election politics. An unseemly topic for a blog devoted to simple pleasures . . . but I've always managed somehow to salvage a moment of simple pleasure in knowing that I have had, in the privacy of that voting booth, the courage of my convictions. Courage to vote according to my beliefs--not those of, usually, the vocal majority. Courage to vote for the welfare of us all, born and unborn--not just for my own.

Which is why I need to write this today, two days before yet another election . . .

I often choose to define myself through quoting what respected others have said. The quotes below reflect my thinking as I choose--no straight party tickets for me, though my choice of quotes will surely lead to predictable labels for my thinking--the candidates I believe best equipped, in terms of their beliefs and values, to shape the best world possible for us all.

The words are theirs. The bold is mine . . .

Ebenezer: But it was only that you were an honest man of business!
Jacob Marley: BUSINESS? Mankind was my business! Their common welfare was my business!

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

I rarely talk politics. I do talk often and passionately about the beliefs on which my voting decisions are grounded. I rarely talk religion. I do talk often and passionately about the values on which my spiritual life is grounded.

I am rarely judgmental--unless in the presence of those who judge others--but I was deeply offended yesterday. I rarely watch mainstream TV but there was a football game I wanted to see so . . . a predictable clash of basic needs. The trade-off for watching two teams with their hearts in the game work their way through four quarters was to endure the negative political ads that filled every break.

I found myself wondering if not being out there touting my candidates of choice is akin to not having the courage of my convictions . . . if I should do and say more than I do in my quiet private voting booth moment in time. So here it is . . .

My ideal candidate is the unassuming visionary, a man (or woman) of the people.

The final piece of the this year's gubernatorial puzzle fell into place for me at a local festival this summer. The candidates cast themselves for the event as beauty queen (sitting high in a convertible, waving at her fans and surrounded by her entourage of propaganda distributors) and man of the people (walking the parade path alone [he had to have an entourage somewhere but they blended in too well to be noticed], shaking hands). Vincent Sheheen held me in the palm of his hand that day. He has my vote.

The final piece of this year's superintendent of education puzzle fell into place long before the primaries. Holleman's is the vision too many have lost in their quest to quantify academic excellence, in their efforts to equate results with standardized test performance. He also understands that putting public education first is essential to the common welfare of our children. (NOTE: I am, with the exception of my last three years of high school, a product of private schools. As a young adult, I chose--not just for financial reasons though that reality cannot be discounted--to enroll my three children in public schools [two attended state universities in other states] and to further my own education at a state university. I chose to devote my professional life to public education. I chose this path because I believe it is everyone's responsibility, mine included, to ensure that all children have access to a quality education. In today's challenging world, it will take all of us--our combined vision and resources--to make that assurance possible.)

There! I've done it! Gone on public record two days before an election to say, in indelible internet ink, how I will vote in the privacy of Tuesday's polling booth. Is this anything like having the courage of [my] convictions?

One last comment on convictions and courage . . .

I have the conviction that ours is government of the people, by the people, and for the people. I have the courage to accept the choice of the people on Tuesday and to do my best to make a difference in whatever world those leaders shape. And I will find some sense of satisfaction--simple pleasures--in continuing to live my life in just this way . . .

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

Is the email copied below another inconvenient truth? Or perhaps simply a timely reminder that maybe I should make the effort to WATCH that DVD, assuming that I can find it . . .


I did have a very environmentally-friendly day--outside, reel mowing and pansy planting. I wonder about the Colorburst fertilizer though . . . but I only used a little bit, I promise!


Oh, and about that email . . .


Yesterday, Al Gore won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work on raising global environmental awareness, spreading the message in books and the Academy Award(R)-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." The popularity of these titles and other films such as "Planet Earth" and "March of the Penguins" proves there's no shortage of interest in the subject of our planet. As someone who's bought environment-related titles, you can find more books and DVDs on Al Gore and the environment below.

Simple Pleasures? Some Inconvenient Truths...

Sunday, April 22, was Earth Day. RoadRunner, AOL, The State--doomsday reminders everywhere of this specter we call global warming--of the mass extinctions, the wide scale flooding, the increasing frequency of monster storms in our not so distant future.

So many ways to think--or not think--about this issue.

I have reached that age where I can say "not in my lifetime!" with a modicum of certainty. I can assure myself that, through my pursuit of simple neartohome pleasures, I am not the culprit here. Yes, I have not yet exchanged my incandescents for fluorescents. Yes, I have sacrificed two spreading oak trees in their prime, understanding that increased summer cooling expenses may be the flip side of my sunny acorn-free driveway. But I shop online (less driving), regularly maintain my aging automobile, wash laundry in cold water, turn off unused electronics (well, except for the computer), adjust my thermostat (68F degrees in winter; 80F degrees in summer), recycle newsprint and cardboard, pursue simple pleasures...

Simple pleasures, but with some inconvenient truths...

My grandson's swing set, for example. Several weekends ago, my son carefully explained to me why not just any treated lumber would do for this construction project. Some brands exude chemicals harmful to children. Others don't. One producer of ACQ-treated wood (the current industry standard) offers, on its web site, these points for consideration:

• Using treated lumber instead of plastic or steel conserves energy (that used to produce the construction material?) and reduces greenhouse emissions.
• Using treated lumber (as opposed to untreated) saves millions of trees each year because treated lumber lasts much longer.
• Using lumber treated with preservatives that do not contain arsenic (as did the older CCA industry standard) and that form insoluable bonds with the wood is safer for the environment and its inhabitants.

I'll admit this much. I've used, and replaced, untreated wood outdoors. I've purchased swingsets of steel and plastic construction. But what of the trees I've saved by refinishing, instead of discarding, old rocking chairs, another of life's simple pleasures? Polyurethane, much to my surprise and pleasure, is, according to the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry of the American Chemistry Council, an energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, recyclable product.

Energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, recyclable...like a geocache, maybe?

Geocaching, yet another of my family's simple pleasures, is categorized as a sport. Our 21st century's Treasure Island. Coordinates mapped on a handheld GPS. Logged accounts of treasures unearthed, treasures exchanged, treasures left behind for others to discover. These caches are hidden with care to preserve their natural surroundings. Geocachers walk. We hike. We do not disturb. We do not litter. We do not consume fossil fuels, except perhaps in the vehicles that ferry us from one cache's environs to another. We do not exacerbate global warming.

But global warming may one day render the simple pleasure of geocaching obsolete.

Last July we explored an island located in a nearby manmade lake--in search of a traditional geocache (The Fab Five?!). Our greatest challenge was not so much locating the cache as it was avoiding the poison ivy traps above and beside and along our path. According to National Geographic News, global warming will boost the spread of poison ivy. Global warming will also mutate poison ivy into POISON ivy.

There's more. Noticing the intricate patterns of contrail tracings is yet another late-in-life-acquired simple pleasure (Contrails). Did I think to ask what impact, other than beauty, these lacy condensationtrails might bring into being? No... But the answers found me. Contrails become high-altitude cirrus clouds, letting light through but trapping reflected heat, raising the earth's temperature (global warming). As contrails become more prevalent, this increase in cloud cover may render telescopes (on the ground) obsolete and disrupt the very GPS signals on which geocaching relies! The jury is still undecided in the case of contrails versus global warming, according to reports from The Register (UK), National Geographic News, and other sources. But inconvenient truths now complicate this seemingly simple pleasure...

I was aware, at some level, of Al Gore's documentary on global warming released last November. But there were so many ways to think--or not think--about this issue. I had reached that age where I could say "not in my lifetime!" with a modicum of certainty. I could assure myself that, through my pursuit of simple neartohome pleasures, I was not the culprit here.

I have since come to understand that, if I am to pass on future generations my passion for simple pleasures, I must come to terms with the ever-changing realities of each. I must question the impact of contrails, the safety of chemical preservatives, why I cannot let go of incandescent light. I must face some inconvenient truths.

I've ordered the DVD from Amazon.com.