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<\/a>\u00a0 Alexander Hamilton<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n As my brother so sadly attested last week, smoke seems to be everywhere<\/strong> in the West this summer.\u00a0 We have cut one vacation short and cancelled another altogether due to smoke.\u00a0 It is a tragedy all around, not only from an environmental perspective but the impact it has on people who lose all of their belongings and the small businesses who count on tourism to subsist.\u00a0 With that in mind, we have just been grateful to have a roof over our heads and Dash the Wonder Dog to keep us entertained.\u00a0 The extra time at home has also aided my mission of slogging my way through Ron Chernow’s tome, Alexander Hamilton,<\/strong><\/em> the book that inspired the hit Broadway musical.\u00a0 Weighing in at 832 pages, it has been a daunting task because most of my reading is done in bed at night.\u00a0 Sometimes I’ll read for an hour or so but many nights I find that after three pages I’m slumped over and snoring<\/strong>.\u00a0 That said, I’ve finally completed it and in an odd way, have found some solace in its pages during this politically turbulent time.\u00a0 The following are some highlights from the post-Revolutionary period that seem strikingly familiar:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Thomas Jefferson<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n I avoid most news accounts these days because I find it too stressful.\u00a0 I’ve gone from being a news junkie to eating junk food instead.\u00a0 But reading Hamilton<\/em> has made me less anxious about today’s conflicts.\u00a0 I realize that as bad as things are right now, we have gone through worse<\/strong> and come out the better for it.\u00a0 Somewhere out there is our Thomas Jefferson.\u00a0 Despite his personal shortcomings, he managed to bring the country together, soothing both parties and accomplishing a sound economic and social foothold for our new country.<\/p>\n All we have to do until “our Jefferson” arrives, is not let the smoke get in our eyes…or blown up our keisters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Suzanne Sparrow Watson As my brother so sadly attested last week, smoke seems to be everywhere in the West this summer.\u00a0 We have cut one vacation short and cancelled another altogether due to smoke.\u00a0 It is a tragedy all … read more\n
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