Experiencing the Best...

Folk #1: Yes. We live in sleepy little town near a big, thriving, quite wonderful Midwestern City (Chicago - it is no hellhole). We take public transportation often. We remark to each other how nice riding the rails into the big City can be. We stroll the streets of this teeming urban evironment. We mingle with folks from all races, creeds, colors, nationalities. We eat exotic foods "invented," in faraway lands. We are friends with folks who identify as "theys & thems." We are also friends with folks who have transitioned from one sex to another. This doesn't scare us, it only leads us to marvel at the  wonderful variety of human beings, being human, on this planet.  And we marvel at the acheivements of science & medicine. We are happy to break bread and converse with a diverse array of folks on politics, religion, pop culture. We love interacting with folks of all ages and generations, folks with experiences and histories very different from our own. I suppose that means we are "woke." Probably so. And it's marvelous, fulfilling, we really can't imagine living any other way. We turn away from irrational fear of "the other." We actually embrace the other. Seems so much better than the hell-hole vision of prejudice, racism, white supremacy, being force-fed to us from the purveryors of hate & ignorance in Washington D.C. and beyond. Our vision & experience of America is much more inclusive, open & welcoming. The best of us in a beloved community of souls. Yes. We had a good day yesterday. It was a beautiful, inspiring, enriching, nourishing experience. The Human Thing at it's best.