Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue. No, Really!

We Americans love a good who'da-thunk story, don't we?  In fact, I'd argue that this story form is at the base of this country's entire mythology.  So much of our flag-waving pride has roots in this belief that everyone, regardless of circumstance, can turn things around and surprise folks.

Six months ago, our current president became one of the latest, though far from greatest, who'da thunk story written on U.S. soil.

Hey, everyone makes mistakes. . . .

Here's the thing, though.  That whirling dervish in D.C. has generated all kinds of who'da-thunk spinoffs that represent what is truly best about people.


A year ago,  how many of us could have imagined that, on January 21st, millions of people worldwide--from Lincoln to London, Gatlinburg to Greenland--would gather in groups to take a stand for each other?

Who'da thunk?

Six months ago, how many of us would have thought that we'd start planning our evenings and weekends around protests or postcard-writing campaigns at the local pizza joint?

Who'da thunk!

Five months ago, I sat gape-jawed as I watched a spontaneous protest break out at LaGuardia Airport as anti-immigrant rhetoric butted heads with airplanes filled with people from everywhere.  There, in the airport, pockets of lawyers met with people who do not look like me, who wondered if they had a place here.  Outside the terminal, thousands held signs and uttered chants, in support of the melting pot.

Who'da thunk?

In January, National Parks employees pushed back against politics that threatened their livelihoods along with the well being of the parks, plants and animals they protect.  What erupted what a joyful noise--300,000 initial followers and the rebirth of Smoky the Bear in his finest version yet.

Who'da thunk? 
 
On the verge of another Fourth of July, one that I could easily talk myself out of celebrating, it's good to remind ourselves that, each day, there are innumerable iterations of the who'da-thunk tale--some tiny, some significant and some incredibly beautiful.   And to remember that, sometimes, the best ones have their roots in the most inexplicable head scratchers that we could imagine.  For me, that happened one morning last winter, on a day when the weird future started to make itself known to me.  It was on that day that I began to change, transformed by a who'da thunk story that I was lamenting.

It's good to remind ourselves that this country was formed by folks who pushed back, who thought we could do better.