My 18-year trek through school started as a 3-year-old in Jack & Jill Kindergarten. And all the way through, including college, none of my teachers ever hinted that I was the smartest kid in the class.
Not much has changed since.
I do the best I can with what I have, relying mostly on hard work and a positive attitude. I believe my mother inspired that sunny outlook as she read—over and over— “The Little Engine That Could.” I grew up with that same “I think I can, I think I can” spirit and drive.
As a result, I am a hopeless optimist. I keep telling myself that there must be a silver lining, somewhere, in today’s black clouds hanging over the globe.
And that reminds me of the two brothers. One was a pessimist, and the other an optimist. As Christmas approached, the perpetual black-cloud brother decided to teach his happy-faced sibling a lesson.
The optimist had asked Santa to bring him a pony. It had been on his wish list for years. And the pessimist was sick of hearing about it. That’s why—while everyone was sleeping—he dumped a pile of horse manure under the Christmas tree. “That’ll teach him,” the grump hissed.
The next morning, the pessimist was the first to race down the stairs. He wanted to watch his brother’s reaction. And smirk.
But here’s what the optimist said about what “Santa had left him”. With glee, he exclaimed, “With this much horse manure, there has to be a pony somewhere!”
Now, back to the world in chaos.
Pick a topic, any topic.
How about the here-we-go-again-war in the Middle East? Appears we didn’t learn enough from the 20-year experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. The worst expense wasn’t the trillions of dollars sunk in that faraway sand. Money is just money. How about the American lives lost and the veterans who came home mentally and physically wounded?
President Donald Trump’s vow was that he didn’t start wars. Rather, he ended wars. Was that just an exaggeration, as was his campaign promise to end the Ukraine-Russia War on Day One? His exact words, “Day One.”
And within days after joining Israel in a war against Iran, the president proclaimed, “We’ve already won.” The enemy’s firepower and ability to fight back are obliterated, so we were told. Looks like the Iranian leadership and their allies weren’t listening. The Middle East is filled with America-haters. Just ask the Houthi in Yemen. And how can we ever trust the Russians?
What about the pledge to not put red-white-and-blue “boots on the ground”? If that’s the plan, why are thousands of our men and women flooding the war zone? Is it a negotiating tactic, a bluff or a signal that more American blood will be spilled on those oil-rich sands? If 20-year-old Barron Trump’s feet were shoved into a pair of those combat boots, would our president have different feelings?
I repeat: “I have never been accused of being the smartest person in any of my classes.” Or any room. But I do believe our president has put us into another could-be endless war without thinking through the consequences. And what has Congress done? Nothing, except take a two-week vacation.
I agree, Mr. President, we don’t want Iran to have nuclear weapons. But please tell us there is a logical exit strategy beyond your statement of “feel it in my bones” as to when to withdraw.
In the meantime, too much of what’s happening in Washington looks and smells like horse manure. But as an eternal optimist, I am searching for the “pony.”
And I believe millions of other Americans are, too.
