The 2016 Castagno Rant
A late start this year, normally I begin procrastinating around Thanksgiving and finally give in sometime in December… but no someone had to schedule a mid December wedding throwing off all my well-laid plans. So here we are on Christmas Eve and I’m decidedly distracted by an unbelievable view of the Colorado back range and the fact that at 9000 feet there is 6.1% less oxygen to breathe! So my gasping for air is a pretty clear indication that the Everest trip is off, everything I read says the body acclimates itself to the altitude – mine just keeps repeating F’off so not sure what that means.
Anyway, plenty to cover this year – I figure I am either going to offend everyone, or perfectly thread the needle on this one. If things go awry keep telling your self he has hypoxia he couldn’t have meant to write that.
This was a year of transitions for us, on a personal level I transitioned from writing stuff to writer with the publication of “Jake”. If you haven’t read it well what are you waiting for? Amazon has your copy ready to go – I know shameless plug. More importantly though: Tammy and I finally downsized and bought what she likes to call “our forever home” honestly forever doesn’t seem as long as it used to; funny how your children moving into their adult lives will do that to you. But we have our little home that is perfect for the two of us and it was a chance to simplify our lives a bit and we couldn’t be happier. I can see how moving into that next phase where it’s just the two of you again might be a bit disconcerting and a tough adjustment but I think for us its a chance to remember the happy family times and celebrate the obstacles overcome. When you take an account of those years raising a family and all the challenges it entails, well it’s pretty amazing what you accomplished together or in some cases in spite of each other. We are discovering that those experiences forged a bond that is the foundation of a beautiful friendship.
When my children were young or even teenagers I always had plenty of material for the middle section of the RANT, now that they are growing up it’s a bit more difficult. Proximity is not the issue we are all still very close even if not geographically, but the days of chronicling their misadventures don’t seem to fit anymore. That doesn’t mean we haven’t had a couple of major happenings this year; Kiersta was married a short two weeks ago – more on that later, and Kyle graduated as a LMT (massage therapist) this fall – very proud of him. It was a tough program but he did a great job and I can vouch for his skills. The twins turned twenty-eight this year which in many ways seems inconceivable to me, but they are grown men pursuing the things they love. Christopher has started a cigar business in his free time, which I don’t give him very much of. He and Tara are also wonderful parents and the Lilibug is growing up before our eyes, of course she is a daddy’s girl and sure does love her PaPa… as is appropriate. Cory continues to pursue his art and writing and has really honed his carpentry skills this year. Some of his projects are truly amazing he has a real designers eye coupled with the ability to transform that vision into a completed project. Up side for me… a really cool new deck!
So where is the RANT you might be asking, this all seems real swell if not just a tad mundane. Well we can definitely tune it up for you if that’s what you want, I mean we did have an election this year and you may not have noticed but there is a huge protest going on in North Dakota (NODAPL). Both “rantable” subjects…
So let’s talk about this election… Ha not going to happen here, but let me say this if you were friends before the election then it stands to reason you should be friends after. Does it really make any sense to let the political ranting of either side drive us apart? I don’t think so, and that doesn’t mean we don’t all stick to our principles and positions, but it does mean we understand that our relationships need to transcend our differences. Personally I am awaiting a return to the well-honed apathy we all seemed to have between election cycles… hmm was that sarcasm? I have been called naive for believing there are some very basic fundamental desires that should be uniting us and if we can find a way to build on those things we have in common there is nothing we can’t overcome. Sure it’s idealistic maybe even unrealistic but I am unwilling to sink into the cynicism and hopelessness that says we cannot solve our problems and build a better society – we have to find the path together.
Now as to the situation we have in North Dakota – I know there a variety of opinions on this as well. We can focus on whether you believe the pipeline folks or the Native Americans and my guess is you could accumulate a huge amount of data to support either side… lets not. As many of you know my sister Bettina has made a three trips to the camp and is passionate about this cause so in many ways this is personal for me. I am including an excerpt from an earlier writing because I believe it captures most accurately how I feel about this: There are a number of disturbing pictures coming out of this conflict and one of the things I find most difficult to absorb is the blatant militarization of a domestic police force. I have heard all the arguments about “arming” up to combat the gangs, drug cartels, terror cells etc… and I get all that – but the reality is this has become the status quo the first response posture not the posture of last resort.
And so I am disturbed, uncomfortable, and distraught by this because you may think it’s just about a bunch of Native Americans and some river far away from where you live but you are seriously missing the point. You may believe that capitalism rules and this pipeline is good for America and what’s the big deal? You are seriously missing the point. You may even discount the potential ecological issues or dangers, but again you are seriously missing the point. Quite possibly you don’t believe in “sacred places” or spiritual things or the sovereignty of the Native tribes, but you know what? You are seriously missing the point…
Because at the end of the day as important as all of those things actually are, whether or not you believe and support them the real point is that this is how minority opposition is dealt with in today’s America. This is what it will look like Christians when they come for your Bibles; this is what it will look like environmentalists when you stand in the way of corporate progress, this is what it will look like 99%ers when you blockade Wall Street, this is what you can expect college students when you finally protest the ridiculous tuition increases you suffer under, or the average American that decides we shouldn’t attend the next war the corporate world throws for us.
This is not about Democrats or Republicans – Liberals or Conservatives this is about the calculated suppression and intimidation of our individual freedom and liberty and our right to free speech. It’s not about individual police officers or National Guardsmen forced to stand these lines because they need to feed their families too. Its about a broken system that has come to believe this level of response is not only okay but required – it’s about an apathetic American public that stands by and says well that’s disturbing but its not me so I’m going to sit this one out.
I don’t have any answers, I am not an alarmist, I don’t subscribe to an “evil government “ conspiracy theory, I am not anti-establishment per se – I just believe we as a people need to carefully consider what we allow to become acceptable practice in our country; collectively – together blind to race, creed, color, and ethnicity one in our resolute spirit and our advocacy for each other and this nation we call home.
That may have been a little longer than you were expecting but this is a rant after all… and I believe we are in a time of transition and our success depends on all of us not on the false narrative of a fractured society wed to the belief structures of their individual factions.
I am sure that more than a few of you are like, “what the hell…” where is the Starbucks line rant or maybe the Millennial safe spaces diatribe… Believe me those are alive and well in fact I’m thinking about publishing a series of essays titled “Don’t be that F’ing Person”. Here are some topics I’m working on:
- What’s an appropriate order for a coffee drive thru – hint it’s coffee!
- If you work @ a fast food place don’t do this
- No one cares if you have letters after your name [This doesn’t apply in the ER]
- Road rage and why you keep causing it
- No you’re not entitled now go back to your cube
- Nobody in this restaurant wants to hear your kid scream
- Its nobody else’s fault when you act STUPID
- Yes pointing out you have different colored friends is racist
- Telling everyone about your good deeds pisses God off
- Things not to do on an airplane or I don’t want to talk to you…
But believe me we don’t have the time or space to explore all of these, you will just have to stay tuned for the published version…
I have left this last topic till the end, mostly because it’s still pretty fresh and although I am committed to my daughter’s happiness I am still wrapping my head around her being married. Kiersta and Jonathan were married on the 10th just a few weeks ago it was a beautiful ceremony on a perfect day surrounded by friends and family – everything you would want a wedding to be. There was plenty of tears, laughter and sometimes both together, but all in all I think it was the perfect day she had wished for. Now that the tumult has died down, the frustration of preparation has subsided and I have had some time to absorb the enormity of it all I realize that this is just another moment of transition. Life is continuing its inevitable march and I have no power to interrupt its steady cadence I can only control the quality of my effort and existence. Everything else will be what it will be…
So let’s put a wrap on this my friends, it has been another year filled with all those ups and downs that make our existence so intensely sweet. Embrace all of it for this is what we have and how and what we do with it is up to each one of us. Wishing you and yours best part of your hopes and dreams.
Musings 