Another List

     In this life there are many surprises, and not all of them are good.
                                 From: Cody and the Fountain of Happiness
                                                Written by Tricia Springstubb
                                                    Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler
                                                        Candlewick Press, 2015
 
       By now everyone reading this knows my political leanings and knows that I’ve been trying really hard to keep my opinions to myself. The news is getting overwhelming, though. Making lists usually helps me get a handle on my thoughts, so I decided to make a list of those items troubling me the most. I had a hard time deciding what was most important. So, drawing on my librarian’s training, I chose alphabetical order.
 
Alternative facts
Bigotry
Biodiversity
Child Care
Civil Liberties
Clean Water Act
Diversity
Dodd-Frank
Domestic Policy
Economic Policy
Energy Policy
Fair Housing
Fiduciary Rule
Foreign Policy
Fracking
Global Warming
Gun Laws
Health Care Reform
Hunger
Immigration
Jobs
Judicial Appointments
Knee-jerk Reactions
LGBT Rights
Minimum Wage
Misogyny
National Parks
NATO
Off-shore oil Drilling
Planned Parenthood
Press Reporting
Public Education
Questions about Everything (thanks, Nancy!)
Religious Freedom
Same Sex Marriage
Sea Level Rise
Separation of Church and State
Tax Reform
Torture
Trust
Using Twitter instead of the Press
Voter’s Rights
Women’s Rights
Xenophobia
Yeltsin, Boris
Z
       Okay, I missed Z. But maybe the doubles and triples. . .make up for the lack.
       When I thought of this idea for a blog, I was getting ready for the Women’s March and answered my own question: Why was I doing this march? I had a good list. When I did factory piece-work, I kept my mind busy by making alphabetical lists of women's names, action verbs, cities. . . I laughed at myself when I thought I could make a list of 26 issues bothering me. I was wrong to laugh.
       Three and a half weeks into this new administration it's time to stop laughing. It's time to stop hand-wringing  It's time to stop talking. It’s way time for me to get to work.
       If you have an idea for that missing Z, send me a comment (or two).                                                                                                                                                 --stay curious!