Manifest Destiny, a phrase coined in 1845, is the idea that the United States is destined—by God, its advocates believed—to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent. (Oxford Dictionary)
The warnings and watches were issued throughout New England, HENRI’ was somewhere beyond our Blue Horizon, and all caution could no longer be to ignore the wind, or rain or dark of night or darkness of day once HENRI’ decided to pay a visit. Of course, there were the runs on gasoline stations, some uptake at our only Super Market, (perhaps in the Outer Cape, toilet paper is not as necessary as there was a plethora of soft white tissue, and harder less expensive sandpaper generics screaming pick me, pick me. (We are a bit BLUER, but maybe Trump’s bullshit behavior rubbed off as there were very few rolls of paper towels!)
I had been homesick for the grey bumpy, bruiser-looking clouds, piling up as might the pins in a bowling alley, ready for a large object to blast them apart. (Living in LA, did not often afford a good ole’ fashion Pittsburgh style thunderstorm, you know the kind that begged you to find an afghan knitted by your grandmother and even in the heat of the summer, cuddle up and watch a black and white movie, with lots of background music filled with the string section of an orchestra!) But even though we did not get the wham bam, thank you ma'am, storm, the bleak sky-scape, the flurry of the oak trees, maple, and pine, created a tableau of trouble in river city, the sound and the fury, and baby it looks cold outside. All of which, PERHAPS, only dwelled in my mind…BUT cause my mind to meander, contemplate, and damn it ruminate!
MANIFEST DESTINY, a term used vaguely in elementary school Social Studies, (BUT SADLY, WAY TOO PROUDLY) suddenly popped into my head as I reluctantly read (RELUCTANTLY, because even though I would like to escape this current reality, ESCAPE, is not an answer in trying to ANSWER our current human-made dilemma) …and it provided a bit of an ANSWER to me, as to why, way too many inhabitants of this nation, think they can take a shit in the same place they eat and sleep. Perhaps the calliope of citizens have no idea of the term Manifest Destiny, but I believe somehow, like acid rain, ozone, and the chemicals found in almost all fruit and vegetables we eat, the poison propensity of sheer self-interest has formed inside the bodies and has taken over! Amazing how a day of no sun, tons of wind, and lack of black and white movies, make me wonder!
