Conservative Conversation and Community
Mary Katharine Ham and Lyndsey Fifield dig into the science behind Enneagrams, love languages, and other personality tests to reveal how they maintain friendships with a tight crew of ladybrains. More
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I’m a bit depressed this morning. Normally I make an effort not to let the ugliness and destructiveness of the news get me down. But the world weighs heavily on my shoulders today: feckless actions by Macron, the usual contradictions by Trump, efforts to pass anti-Semitic/anti-Israel bills in Congress (which I will write about later). I can’t find the space to let in the joy and knowledge of blessings. And then I remember that in one hour, I will do something good.
On Monday mornings I visit with my friend, Earl. He is 88 years old. I’ve written about him before—his concerns about racism (he’s black and liberal), Donald Trump, the state of the world.
MoreOn a whim, I checked the number of posts I’ve made: 736! I’ve also made 16,236 comments. But the number that moves me the most is the number of posts promoted to the Main Feed: 400.
That last number suggests that I reflect on its significance. It means that I wrote many posts that many of you decided deserved extra attention. (Yes, it also means you might really like me! At least you might like my writing enough to read my post!)
MoreWhat does it mean to be a man? It occurred to me this morning that my friend Earl is the epitome of what we want in a man, what we should expect from a man, and I’m proud and honored that he is my friend.
I’ve written about Earl before on Ricochet. He is a tall, lean black man, a Progressive and one of the kindest and most self-reflective persons I know. He is also 86 years old, declining from a multitude of health conditions including early Alzheimer’s. He loves to discuss ideas and ask deep questions; I would often ask him what he thought the answers were to his questions, because I knew at some level he had his own heartfelt, often profound answers.
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William Butler Yeats isn’t my favorite poet, but he often does, as in this case, speak my heart. Politically, he doesn’t reflect my views at all. Emotionally though, I can often understand where he’s coming from. His personal life was a hot mess too, and boy howdy, I can relate to that as well. More
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“When you’re in jail, a good friend will be trying to bail you out. A best friend will be in the cell next to you saying, ‘Damn, that was fun.'” – Groucho Marx
Yes, it’s true. Sometimes the things you do are not the smartest. But it is always nice to know that there is someone who will have your back, even then — and think afterwards that it was fun. Kipling talked about that kind of friend in his poem The Thousandth Man.
MoreSome months ago, a United States Marine Corps career officer of my acquaintance observed that, for a foreigner, for a civilian, and for a woman, I seem to have enjoyed the company of a quite a number of United States Marines in my life. And he’s right. (To be clear, I always call them “United […]
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I’ll be honest. I’m tired of all the division. I’m tired of the disunity. I’m tired of people who manufacture reasons to fight. I want us all to be able to see a world that consists of only two kinds of people. Not black and white, not Republican and Democrat, not gay and straight, not […]
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The title for this post is stolen from a novel of the same name by E.R. Eddison wherein the Lords of Goblinland, Impland, Witchland and Pixyland war with one another in unceasing plots and, like many Norse and Icelandic inspired mythologies, tend to rinse, lather and then repeat endlessly. It’s a great read if you can stomach the sometimes awkward writing style and thick language.
In any case, my post isn’t actually about that novel. The image of the worm eating its own tail is an old one, and one that in most cases references the endless and cyclical nature of time. There is nothing new under the sun, so to speak. The image in my mind recently has been of a creature devouring itself and complaining and moaning about how much each bite hurts.
MoreJim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America discuss the fight between left and right over who should head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and whether President Trump gets to make that decision and why the Constitution makes this an easy call. They also shake their heads as House Democratic Leader Nancy […]
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Both @henryracette and @annefy have made the case that discussions with the Left are worthwhile, even if it’s impossible to change their minds. (Others may have written posts that I’ve missed.) I’ve commented many times over the last few months that I don’t have those discussions. First I don’t have a lot of opportunity to […]
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I don’t often find it difficult to come up with something to write about. But, as a few people have already said this month, the topic of “Beauty” has been a tough one. And the posts so far have covered so many aspects of the subject, so well, that it’s become even more difficult as […]
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This month’s Group Writing topic, “Beauty,” stumped me, initially. Until I recalled a nugget of family lore that Mom Panjandrum shared with me during a difficult time: I’ve had many experiences that did plenty to convince me that I was anything but beautiful – inside or out. The late-tween/early-teen years were particularly bumpy in this regard. One day, when the valley seemed forever deep, Mom P. said: “I have something to show you…”. She parked me in the master bedroom, took something from her jewelry box, and settled in her favorite chair.
The story begins with my Mom’s childhood friend N, for whom I’m named. The two shared birthday celebrations, sleepovers, fan club welcomes for favorite film and music stars of the era who came to town, and an out-of-state trip for Mom P. to visit when N.’s family moved. This closeness flourished — from grammar school through high school graduation — when life took them in different directions: Mom P. to training as an RN/OR nurse; N. to hospitality/property management (with a lifelong enjoyment of drawing and photography.) N’s grandmother, Mrs. O. kept her up-to-date with hometown news like my early arrival and naming.
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The young people say things these days: You’re my ride or die. More
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George was 77, going on 78 when we met. He owned a firm that rather suddenly had become my client due to an emergency failure in their IT network – an emergency that lasted 20 years. A protégé of George’s at the firm would end-up becoming one of my best friends – a relationship that will last forever.
George was remarkable: full-bird Colonel on General Patton’s staff, DoD project manager for the implementation of the world’s first mainframe computer, editor of a military journal for decades, college teacher, business owner, founder of the Pachyderms – a group of folks with thick skins, a sense of humor, and a keen interest in politics and bourbon.
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Life is about making choices. Lots of choices. Most of them are minor ones: what to cook for dinner, what book to read next, whether to take a walk. But some of our choices are significant, and they call to us to take notice of them. We can try to ignore them, but I think that G-d walks around with a two-by-four (or sends a guardian angel to do the work) and gives us a good solid whack to help us pay attention and step up. That usually gets my attention, and I try to discern what is calling to me.
I don’t spend much time reflecting on the past and the choices I’ve made. Like most people, I celebrate the rewarding outcomes and complain about the poor ones. But once the decision is made, and life moves forward, I rarely think about whether I made good or bad or smart or stupid choices, because all of those choices have brought me to this incredible, blessed moment. Yet recently I decided to spend time reflecting on my life’s decisions without judging or evaluating them; I thought I might be able to learn from them.
MoreIt’s been a tough week for me and for people in my life. On a general human level, the massacre in Orlando would have been tough enough. Then I found out my husband’s cousin (who is like a sister to me) has been given two months to two years to live; her body has been […]
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The thoughts expressed herein are my personal reflections and are not intended to reflect the position of the founders, editors, or other moderators, although goodness knows they should agree with me cuz I’m always right. One of the great but often unnoticed accomplishments of Western Civilization has been the establishment of communities designed to search […]
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Ol’ man McVey & ol’ man Arahant put me on to a head-scratcher in a separate literary discussion. We were thinking about the Kirk-Spock type of relationship. One of’em’s intelligent but lacks daring, the other one seems more than capable of making terrible decisions. There’s a lot to think about there, from American love of nature […]
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My opinion of hippies is, I hope they don’t end up getting what they’re asking for, good & hard. But when I see a man who plays with lions–I mean, more than once–I start paying attention. You should, too: More
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