EVERY UNIFORM COMES WITH ASSOCIATED EXPECTATIONS

A series of essays....

ATHLETIC TEAMS WEAR COORDINATED COLORS

Photo Courtesy of Ali Siskind

 ....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

When I conjure up someone wearing a uniform, it takes me back to my older brother, Ronnie, who was a Cub Scout for several years. Nearly four years older than me, I was in awe of his navy blue uniform trimmed in yellow and a bright yellow sash bedecked with colorful patches bestowed on him due to his own hard work and diligence. When he placed the matching cap on his head before walking with dad to the car to attend a meeting, I felt he was the bravest and most handsome boy I would ever know. 

In eighth grade I knew an older boy who believed he was already a man. Then, one day, he donned a uniform that took him to the exotic land known as Viêtnam where many young men like Joe learned that even men know how to cry. Joe came back home one day to receive his twenty-one gun salute and I cried for the lost innocence of a kind boy who cared so much about others, he was willing to die for us.

RESTAURANTOSAURUS LOCATED IN DISNEY'S
ANIMAL KINGDOM WHERE ALI HAD HER FIRST POSITION

Our oldest daughter secured an internship with Disney during her final semester at Michigan State University and was one of the hundreds of young people who were trained to open the newest theme park called Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World in April of 1998. She became a 'cast member' working in food service and I smile thinking about her crisp, overly animated, pinstriped uniform (costume) that took her anxious minutes to put on before her shift, as well as take off afterwards. She enjoyed her job very much but was very happy to relinquish that uncomfortable uniform when she moved on to her next Disney position.

A uniform might consist of a suit and tie, pencil skirt with coordinating jacket and comfortable heels, that we wear to the office; the uniform of military personnel, police officers, or firefighters who serve to defend and protect us; any particular school’s colors or professionally coordinated colors worn by athletes during combat when attempting to defeat another team; or, happily, the wait staff at our favorite local restaurant. 

In simple terms, a uniform is an identifying outfit or style of dress worn by the members of a given profession, organization, or rank that helps their members to stand out from the crowd so that they can be easily recognizable, as well as distinguish them for the service they do. 

I believe that by wearing a uniform it gives a person a feeling of belonging and inclusiveness while working together on the same team with a common goal in mind. Please remember this thought as you read on.

So, on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, the Senate voted to acquit the 45th president of the United States on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, ending a historic Senate trial that was centered on his conduct toward Ukraine but that did not include live witnesses or new documents. Like many of us, I calmly sat in a state of numbness and contemplated the future. 

Funny how things randomly travel through our minds and we attempt to decipher and catalog them as best we can. One of my first thoughts was about wearing uniforms. I was thinking to myself that now would be the perfect time for 45 to conjure up his own uniform for the rank and file that are so determined to follow him, carry out his orders, and be jubilant about the demise of democracy and freedom in general. Right?

THE NEW UNIFORM OF WHITE SUPREMACY
ASSEMBLED IN CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA 

                              Courtesy Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The flowing, white robe with pointed hat has been taken; as has the crisp khaki pant and polo shirt combo which debuted in Charlottesville, Virginia recently, accessorized with the lit tiki torch and old standards, the Nazi and Confederate flags. The uniform of white hate is now mundane and the stuff of everyday American life. ‘All gown-up and in Hitler’s (45’s) shadow.’ Yes, it is haunting.

I could neither confirm nor deny the Daily Kos article entitled, ‘The Trump cult’s top lieutenants now have their own uniforms By Aldous J. Pennyfarthing / Daily Kos (02/11/2020).’ I always enjoy reading the articles in the Daily Kos but questioned the validity of this particular author, for obvious reasons. I have discovered this: Aldous J. Pennyfarthing is the pen name of Tom Breuer, blogger and insult comic author, who has published on Amazon four comedy based books about the Trump presidency including a #1 Best Seller, Dear Pr*sident A**clown: 101 More Rude Letters to Donald Trump. The amazing things that research will pull-up for you never fail to intrigue me.

REPUBLICAN SENATOR, LINDSEY GRAHAM, WEARING
TRUMP-BRANDED MERCHANDISE ON FOX NEWS

 Courtesy Fox News

So, if you can imagine my amazement upon hearing about this story so soon after correlating 45’s cult relationship with the possibility of his lieutenants wearing uniforms along with the new uprising of white supremacy...it was heart wrenching. Pennyfarthing’s (Breuer's) article for the Daily Kos describes how “Representative Mark Meadows and Senator Lindsey Graham deny the Trump cult talk on Fox & Friends while wearing Trump-branded merchandise that puts money directly into their cult leader’s pocket.” How fitting. 

It was, also, a lesson in laughter for me. After keeping the serious harm being done to this country, and unleashed by 45 on a daily basis, pent-up inside for so long, many of us need a trickle of diversion just to maintain our sanity. I must say that reading about Aldous J. Pennyfarthing worked for me. I don’t smile as often today as I used to. However, Pennyfarthing has helped me to see how humor can be our friend, as well as a great equalizer.

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

A JOURNAL ENTRY OF A SINGLE PARENT

 A series of essays....

SALVADOR DALI: "DISINTEGRATION OF PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY"
THE ARTIST DESCRIBES HIS THEME AS A KIND OF 'NUCLEAR MYSTICISM'

          Courtesy of Etsy

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

It was his way of washing a potential problem out of his hair. It was his way of dealing with misunderstanding and stress even though he had, certainly, assisted in creating large portions of both. To admit this fact would go against every fiber of his being. In his mind, the problem was created by others and he had just been caught in the middle, that’s all. It was his way of saying, “This is my coping mechanism. It will have to suffice.”

To say that he was managerial material would be a stretch because, in order to be able to manage others, you should be able to manage your own life and deal with what life throws at you. Yes, juggling numerous balls at one time is a part of the game. What I failed to recognize was, as difficult as life had become for the rest of us, he could not handle one more ball.

He was raised, loved, nourished, and protected to the best of my ability. After unexpectedly taking on the role of a single parent, I decided I should not hoist all of the blame onto my own shoulders. That would be a fool’s journey because it’s understood that outside factors and influences affect our lives in many different ways. I know only too well how that game is played; how guilt, frustration, love, and fear enter the picture via the passing of a spouse when children are so young and vulnerable. As they mature, life can become skewed for them and with the addition of negative peer pressure, bullying, and the misunderstanding of their purpose in life, this concoction can be as lethal as a cyanide-laced cocktail.

Does any of this really matter now?

Instantly, life becomes distorted; a living nightmare as surreal as a Dali painting with time slowly melting away as the world disintegrates around us. The screams of our children pierce our ears and chip away at our souls until all we have left is the persistence of memory: haunting our days and strangling our nights with its slippery tentacles of pain, sorrow, and regret.

There is a horrible mystique regarding mental health disorders that brings to mind Stephen King novels and towering, brick psychiatric hospitals. We have our own idea of what mental illness is and, unless we educate ourselves, and all forms of mental health disorders are discussed openly, situations can become turbid as the days, weeks, months, and years pass by. I never intentionally ignored the truth; it was always conveniently tucked away within the deep recesses of my mind. Having to tap into it frightened me as much as the truth itself!

As with every generation, I had all of the answers as a teen: I would learn by the examples around me and decide early on that what happened back then would have to change as I conducted my life in the future and, with any luck, never be repeated again. What transpired long ago rearranged my sense of perspective in such a way that all I had to do was incorporate the opposite actions of the adults in my life regarding how we were raised and infuse a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle for my own children to thrive on, one day. The best was yet to come, or so I believed. 

Life has its way of throwing out curve balls.

It was his way of saying what silly fools we humans are. Oh, how we set ourselves up for failure. When we believe we have failed, a certain 'door of insensibility' creaks open, ever so slightly, but just enough to offer an escape route into oblivion. 

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

BE COURAGEOUS: VOTE IN 2020...DEMOCRACY DEPENDS ON IT!

 A series of essays....

                          Courtesy of Wikipedia

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Struggling quite a bit in placing the right words down on the i-Pad screen this morning. Yes, my writing Blog means that much to me. It defines who I am as a person; my soul is exposed for all to see every Thursday morning. Whether I am talking about family, friends, a certain chapter in my particular book of travels, sharing a poem I’ve written, creating characters (Coffeehouse Chatter series) who explain life over a cup of coffee, or delving into current politics (the steam of my passion not always reflected in the final product ~ with good reason), I am always grateful for this opportunity to express myself by baring my soul to those I know and those of you I may never meet in person in my lifetime. I will always be eternally grateful that you are out there and reading what I have to say each week and sharing it with others. I appreciate each one of you!

One of the most important things Dan and I ever asked of our daughters throughout their lives was to always tell (us) the truth; and, believe it or not, the truth will set you free! There’s something so sweet and simple about never having to second guess what you’ve verbalized or written to others. It’s easier to recall the truth than to recall any lie you may have used to distract you from the truth. I’d like to think we taught them the values of right and wrong, the value of being an honest and tactful individual. 

Is being tactful and diplomatic overrated?  Especially when it comes down to dealing with people who lie and cheat to keep their Senate seat?  

I'd like to think that I am an honest person, writer, who wouldn’t rewrite another’s exact words without giving them credit for them. A person who wouldn’t use someone else’s photograph without extending them the 'courtesy' of using it. I do stand by my principles. I do believe it is far easier to be honest and tell the truth than to cover it up by applying untruths. In other words, I can recognize right from wrong. I have a conscience.

My conscience is what is making me hold back on my words  right now; inhibiting me from exploding, spewing, regurgitating the depths of my emotions onto this screen. Too weary of listening to the lies and horrendous, deceitful ideals to shut-down my conscious mind and allow myself the simple joy of a good night’s rest. So afraid that I will crossover the line of discretion and enter the world of hate and evil, the likes of which my parents taught me to avoid; what the instructional nuns at Catholic school would describe as sins to be confessed to our parish priest. 

Country before Party is a rare commodity these days. A nation that was originally based upon the principles of ‘by the people and for the people’ is now applying the blatant lies of this president as the ‘truth and nothing but the truth’ he desires us to endear, hold sacred, and live by. 

Each one of us has entered the distorted world of government and politics that has been skewed well beyond recognition...whether we acknowledge it or not. So far, we are survivors of a plan to completely shut-down what has been and was good for everyone only to be replaced by the greed of a dictatorship where a handful of people benefit from laws, funding, and the prospects of never having to worry about anyone other than themselves. 

We are being, slowly, absorbed within a long term plan that has eclipsed the cautionary political lies usually kept behind closed doors and given the permission to shoot someone on any street, in a school, theater, night club, or church anywhere in the United States.  And the founders of this plan are doing their damndest to make certain there is nothing we can do about it! 

Profiles In Courage, a book written in 1956 by Senator John F. Kennedy who won the Pulitzer Prize for this work, has been mentioned often during the past few weeks, and with good reason. The book is a volume of short biographies describing acts of bravery and integrity (may I stress this word?) by eight United States Senators who defied the opinions of their party and constituents to do what they felt was right and suffered severe criticism and losses in popularity because of their actions. 

Profile in Courage: Senator Doug Jones, "Simply a matter of right and wrong."  (D) Alabama

Profile in Courage: Senator Mitt Romney for voting with moral courage and finding the president guilty of abuse of power. (R) Utah

One could argue that each of today’s GOP senators must love themselves very much, even to the point of believing that what they do today is correct, righteous, with implications that they are born leaders with great integrity! I certainly hope so because there are many who have a long, long life ahead of them and it would be a shame if their own conscience ever stepped in to drive them insane with personal guilt and regrets. If and when that happens, it will be too late to protect the beloved country they represent as servants of the people who elected them in the first place.

With fingers hovering over black keys painted with white punctuation marks and capital letters, a standard English keyboard that has become a dear friend to me throughout the years, I know I will read and then reread the words above many times before clicking the orange ‘publish’ button on Thursday morning. Because I care. I care enough to tell the sad stories of corrupt politics as much as I care about the happier stories of travel, poetry, and identifiable characters sipping a caffe latte; a mixed bag of information designed around genuine honesty and often laced with hope and love.

It’s curious how the page before me is a reverse version of my trusty keyboard. Almost as though, after being typed, my words are rapidly pulled inside-out with black letters etched upon a white backdrop. This accurately describes my gut feelings today with one burning question inside: Will right  overcome wrong in the Senate and, if not, will there be enough time to recoup our many losses under the nefarious influences of the most corrupt administration our country has every encountered? 

I know there are a lot of good people out there. I say we continue to fill the streets with our physical disapproval, placards held up high with pride, and express our rights as citizens, taxpayers, and everyone who has or knows someone’s grandchild and worries about their future. Nancy Pelosi understood when she ripped-up a speech filled with distasteful untruths! Adam Schiff understood when he exposed his heart on his sleeve each time he spoke during the impeachment hearing and trial. And, each senator understands as he or she disavows their oath of office and beliefs in the Constitution when they decide NOT to impeach this president.

Make it a priority to go out and VOTE in 2020!!! Vote as if your life depended upon it because, it does. Never doubt that your vote will make a difference.

Well, I held my tongue (negativity) as best I could without losing my sense of graciousness towards myself, as well as you, my dear readers. I will always pledge to honor those who unselfishly care about our country and honor her people of all colors, nationalities, and religions. We must remain a melting-pot of ideas that come together in order to enrich and strengthen this land we love so much.

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

THE BOOK SHOP

HARMONY

 A series of essays....

~ A MALE AND FEMALE CARDINAL ~
HARMONY IN NATURE

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Harmony is the balance we all require to make life, with all of its intriguing parts, sing with notes of joy and togetherness. It is a reverberation requiring years of practice and skill that bounces the animated tones of the sweetest bird songs from tree to tree in the fresh, morning breeze. We slow our heartbeats down in order to listen to their early calls while they pluck an early worm to take back to their little ones for breakfast, mouths wide open in the comfort of their cozy nest. Harmony is found in the music of nature; a natural counterbalance to conflict and discord. Listen. Listen. Listen for the high-pitch note of the cicadas on a hot summer afternoon, the chirp of the nocturnal cricket, their mating call, used to navigate the nighttime dating scene, and the cacophony of tree frog barks as they emerge at dusk to feed on crickets and earthworms after hiding from the heat of the day. 

THE CLOSED COSMOGONY OF UTOPIA
THOMAS MORE'S WILDLY INFLUENTIAL BOOK THAT
WAS PUBLISHED 500 YEARS AGO

Courtesy of Frieze.com

The musical balance we find within the harmonious structure of nature contributes to an orderly and pleasing combination of elements in a whole; the order and harmony of the universe. Nature’s color palette is studied and adapted by great artists while designers breathe life into man-made surroundings by using nature’s harmonious plans of color, arrangement, and textures. What is pleasing to the eye can, in turn, be pleasing to the heart and soul. In matters of the heart, our own relationships characterized by lack of conflict or strife is a harmonious balance worth striving for, but often too complicated to wholly achieve. Given the possibility in which various components could exist together without destroying one another, and a sense of well-being could be reached by the harmonious coexistence between all of mankind, humans would be living in a utopian ideology, brilliantly captured within the imaginations of authors such as Sir Thomas More, Utopia and Margaret Cavendish, The Blazing World. 

A ZEN MOMENT BY
ARTIST AND SCULPTOR: NADINE FOURRE
FROM: EYGALIERES, PROVENCE-ALPILLES, FRANCE

Harmony is the flow of life, a feeling of happiness, acceptance, completeness, and peace, with peace being the highest form of happiness. If we are in harmony with ourselves, we will easily be able to welcome it into our lives while accepting its gifts of balance of mind, body, and soul... Those who sing in harmony are in tune with one another. Like nature’s own song, music can be the natural stabilizer between discord and a true sense of peace. Music consists of three main elements: melody, rhythm, and harmony. It is the third element, harmony, that can elevate a piece from common and predictable to challenging and sophisticated. The harmony of a cappella vocals rises to the occasion in clear and natural tones and, just like the bird songs, amaze and delight our senses with their creative blends of pitches and sounds that mimic everything from musical instruments to nature itself. For purposes of euphony, the pleasant sounds of a favorite poem can evoke a melody that moves our bodies and, as we sway to the rhythm of its tone and arrangement, our mood is elevated to a state of happiness and well-being.

Harmony reaches out to all of us in many ways, touching our life with its dignity and encouraging us to discover personal peace and long-lasting happiness within our very souls, spreading this joy among nature, poetry, music, and all of the lives we touch in one lifetime. If and when we, finally, recognize the importance of harmony, we will know what it’s like to live in an atmosphere of social comity and respect; a lesson those in Washington D.C. must aspire to in the weeks, months, and years to follow...

"Utopia is intentionally flawed. it is an irritant that makes a pearl. It makes you think."    ....Carol Mavor

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES CAN BECOME LIFE LESSONS

 

A series of essays....

ALL GRANDPARENTS PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE LIVES OF CHILDREN ~
FAMILY DYNAMICS SHOULD NOT POSE A THREAT TO THIS BOND

Courtesy of Getty Images

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Fuhgeddaboudit!!!, offers up iconic New York/New Jersey, Italian Mafia slang. Often heard in The Sopranos and famously spelled out by Johnny Depp in the 1997 crime drama Donnie Brasco, Fuhgeddaboudit is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary (Yes, Fuhgeddaboudit” snags a spot in the Oxford English Dictionary!) as: In representations of regional speech, especially associated with New York and New Jersey, ‘forget about it’ is used to indicate that a suggested scenario is unlikely or undesirable. But, as Johnny Depp’s character in the movie explained, “Sometimes it just means to forget about it.” Plain. Simple.

When it comes to missing out on an opportunity to right a wrong, enhance our monetary holdings, or travel to and greet a new destination...is forgetting about it really enough? And, if we try to second guess our original motives for saying no or automatically dismiss an opportunity by not recognizing its potential within our life, that golden chance was not ours for the taking this particular time around. We must and do learn from our mistakes, even though, as humans, we tend to repeat them over and over again!

DON'T WORRY IF THAT TRIP TO PARIS
SLIPPED THROUGH YOUR FINGERS THIS TIME AROUND 

It seems we have determined any given New Year’s Day to be our ‘new chance’ gauge; a few moments into the first day of a 365-day time frame when resolutions of change, for better or worse, are meant to be exercised and adhered to for as long as possible.  Or, “I’ll begin my diet on Monday,” becomes a preferred mantra, knowing that we have, at least, 52 Mondays in the year to generously cling to.

When missed opportunities become so personal, so gut wrenching, and absolutely beyond one’s control...our lives can be changed forever! When everything we deem as normal, complete, and loving is taken away from us due to another’s pride, lack of compromise, and unwillingness to communicate, it becomes exceedingly difficult to make any form of change happen. And, in many cases, this stubbornness always hurts the innocent among us...in most cases it is the young children who suffer because the adults in the room are caught-up in the slippery realm of power and dominance.

We see examples of missed opportunities towards making difficult circumstances better when looking over the course of many custody cases where, unfortunately, good people deliberately batter and bruise the emotions of their ex-spouse by pitting the children against them. Using the children as pawns, some bitter parents attempt to legally withhold visitation rights from their ex-spouse. This is commonly referred to as parental alienation syndrome or PAS. 

There are numerous cases of grandparents being denied the right to see or be with their own grandchildren. It is a fact that families can become estranged for many reasons, including basic conflicts and misunderstandings. In many cases, research shows that the adult child, for whatever reason, decides that having such control over their own parents is more satisfying than the act of loving one another itself. The term grandparent alienation syndrome or GAS has been adopted to describe the result of this estrangement. The most prominent group using the term GAS is Alienated Grandparents Anonymous, or AGA, based in Florida but has outreach operations in many states, and who conclude that blocking grandparents’ access to grandchildren is the result of one or more persons actively working to turn a grandchild against a grandparent.

"Grandparent rights, in reality, are about a child's right to maintain an ongoing relationship with loving grandparents with whom they have formed an attachment. Grandparents play a significant role in the lives of children, it is a unique and separate relationship, therefore family dynamics should not pose a threat to the bond that has developed," points out author, Susan Hoffman. She has written the book, Grand Wishes: Advocating to Preserve the Grandparent-Grandchild Bond.

Denying innocent children the right to grow-up knowing their own parent or grandparent is a major missed opportunity. The children can be denied the right to learn about their personal heritage, family traditions, and being able to judge for themselves how comfortable they feel around a parent or grandparent. Especially in the case of an estranged grandparent, missing out on all of the time and love an older generation family member has to offer them is time lost forever. No matter how many other grandparents (or lovingly adopted grandparents) they have, a personal relationship with their parent’s parents is something any child should never have to miss out on...for any reason.

To just ‘fuhgeddaboudit’ will never be an option for missed opportunities for most of us. Life is too short and precious to allow the mind and heart to, simply, forget about it. ‘Golden Chances’ can slip through our fingers on a daily basis. We alone must determine what importance they may or may not have had in our life. If it is determined that their loss creates a life-changing impact, we must strive to either permanently throw them away to protect our ego or attempt to recapture these opportunities in order to better our life in the future.

Even if that trip to Paris slipped through your fingers this time around, it would be even more consciously imprudent to ignore another opportunity to right a grievous wrong when given another chance to do so. As human beings, it’s nice to know that we always have a second chance (often a third or fourth, if we’re lucky) to make things better, make things right, for everyone!

BEAUTY ~ LOVE ~ HARMONY

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

A series of essays....

THERE IS PLEASURE THAT COMES FROM TAKING
SOMETHING APART TO SEE EXACTLY HOW IT TICKS!

                      Courtesy of: TODDMCLELLAN.COM



....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

DECONSTRUCTION

is a term used frequently and in many different facets of life in order to break something down or dismantle it into all of its original components in such a way as to be able to examine it thoroughly or expose its underlying make up, bit by bit. Our world continues to move swiftly and often we are connected to, or more familiar with, the end product rather than the means by which it was produced in the first place. With a consumer’s unquestioned acceptance of what is, we throw away the possibility of what was and how we might improve upon or repair it. The more curious among us embrace the deconstruction process as a challenge worth pursuing with positive reasons and ultimate benefits guiding the way.

However, deconstruction in itself is not a new concept and can be applied to many ideas such as human nature, historical fact finding, and even the foods we consume on a daily basis. The research applied to this act of dismantling can charge the senses and rejuvenate the weary soul just as much as creating something from an original conception and building upon it until it is perceived to be a complete and functioning entity. The process of deconstruction is challenging in the respect that the act of ‘trial and error’ has been diminished; the essential properties of a given subject must be accurately examined and scientifically researched until each component is identified, quantified, and labeled. 

With the explosion of cheap plastic products after World War II, life was more convenient and affordable, and who would have thought to exist without their Tupperware, the puffed-up  polymer DuPont later trademarked as Styrofoam, Formica counter, Saran Wrap, vinyl siding, squeeze bottles, Barbie dolls, Wiffle balls, the colorful world of artificial flowers, and countless more items. Plastics promised a material paradise available to all income brackets. Our naivete, marked by consumer bliss following ‘war deprivation’ and sacrifice, exposed a lack of wisdom, good judgment, and concealed  the long-term consequences of these products. It would be a fool’s goal to deconstruct the polymers and acetates associated with the materials we used to rearrange nature in such imaginative and mass produced ways. What we must do is deconstruct the harm that was done to our environment after so many years of usage and eliminate the disposable world that is choking the breath from every living organism.

Who didn’t want to know the ingredients of McDonald’s ‘special sauce’ since fast food entered the marketplace around the same time as worldwide plastic consumption? The advertising market told us that we did. Life moved fast and furious following WWII. Today, we enjoy the art of deconstructing a fabulous recipe consumed during a fine dining experience and attempt to reproduce it within the luxury of our own home in homage to the chef. Culinary students are trained to taste certain food combinations and then deconstruct them by naming each ingredient within its composition. Deconstructing our food allows us the opportunity to rearrange ingredients to serve our lifestyle with a positive approach in order to make healthier choices along the way.

 The counselor, especially a licensed professional, who treats people with emotional and behavioral problems, may advise and encourage their patients to deconstruct their life in order to allow them to recall and better understand all of the major reasons that led them to the problematic world they exist in currently with the hope of making subtle changes toward improvement. The key to unlocking the past is rediscovering it...little by little.

Many of us attempt to comprehend the general dynamics of this current political administration that influences life and death situations, economic patterns, and interactions with other countries including their people, customs, and laws. Step by step we must see the presidency through the eyes of the man himself, which may be difficult for many of us to do. If we peel back the layers, deconstruct his life back to the circumstances that preceded his official capacity as president, we find a person easily manipulated by virtue of wanting to fit in, desiring to be a part of the whole and never quite achieving this goal for himself. We see a pathetic man from the past who has never had a single clue as to how to govern his own life let alone the people of the United States; always driven by his agenda of hate for Barack Obama, our first black president.  

Agreeing that deconstruction is a way of understanding how something was created in the first place, it is interesting to note that, thanks to the Internet, our topics may be easier to deconstruct than they used to be. Our entire world unfolds before us as we type away on a keyboard waiting for the options to appear on a screen to be analyzed and interpreted. Having such vast knowledge at our fingertips allows us to peel back the layers of time, fill in the missing spaces in history, and better understand or deny the ideas behind the stories we have come to believe as truths. 

Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved