re: #117 allegro

I got home a while ago from a lovely dinner party of a sorta diverse group of 14. The hostess is quite conservative, retired corporate counsel of Mobile Oil in international acquisitions to me, retired professor tree hugging liberal (we became friends 3+ decades ago, along with a couple of other guests, through Mensa). Other guests included an older gay couple (who I totally fell in love with) and Jewish brother and sister (who grew up in Israel) and her Hispanic husband, a veteran. Age range 30ish to at least 80. It was decided early on that politics was a subject best avoided though there were a few telling comments as related to other subjects reflecting viewpoints that spanned the range, though I think none were Trumpistas - it was much too intelligent a group.

It was a delightful evening of great conversation, sharing, and laughter among good people. It’s the world I want to live in. It’s real and it’s still possible.

I needed that. For hope.

The Mensa group I associate with (Cheyenne, Wyoming, though my actual group is Nebraska-Western Iowa, which meets four hundred miles away) has a couple Trump supporters (at least before the election, I have not seen them since). We are quite happy to delve into political discussions, challenge each other’s assumptions, present evidence, wow, like a real political discourse rather than the poo flinging on television.

Since I am “the socialist” in the group (and the only elected official), the political issues just roll out over a dinner table in a restaurant.