As I sit outside on this lovely Spring day, awash with pollen from the many flowering trees and the budding leaves of deciduous trees that are so early to leaf out this year, I ponder. While I sit here in warm sunlight watching my dogs accustom themselves to my new puppy there are hundreds of political prisoners sitting in disgusting, solitary cells in Washington DC. The rules have been changed and the government is holding these men without trial, often without being able to see or contact their families. They lack medical care, and they are not allowed to speak with their lawyers as they should be able to. Most, nearly 90%, are being defended by public defenders as the prisoners cannot afford private attorneys. Most of them are charged with trespassing, yet they have been jailed for over 2 years. How can this be happening in America?

When we first introduced my puppy to all the other dogs here, it was my son’s dog who accepted him immediately. My two other dachshunds were standoffish for days. Sisi the little 9-pound female nipped at him every time he came too close to her. She definitely avoided him. She was mad at me for bringing him into our family. She stiffened when he came near her. He has been here just over a week. Since his arrival, I have slept like a baby with him in the crook of my arm or under the covers by my feet. He has not made a “mistake” in bed so far. This week I have had a nearly perfect record of sleeping right through the night. It has been years since I slept through the whole night without waking. That is so restful. Could it be something to do with the puppy? It must because there is nothing else that is different in my life. This reminds me of the changeable nature of the human body. We are so easily influenced in major ways by small things in our daily lives.

Think of how many people changed everything about their lives due to fear of a virus that I now believe may have been very rare if it existed at all. Fear caused these otherwise intelligent people to lose their reason, their common sense. These thoughtful compassionate people allowed their old parents or grandparents to die alone in hospitals that refused them entrance. They followed the rules. They let faceless anonymous bureaucrats in hospitals and nursing homes tell them they could not see their blood relatives. It is unconscionable and yet it happened.

Sitting here in my lovely home amid a riot of colorful Easter flowers, dyed eggs, and other Easter decorations, it is difficult to believe how people reacted over the last 3 years. 18 of my family members came to my house for a sumptuous Easter Luncheon. They laughed and chatted and enjoyed each other’s company. These people all have different beliefs and vote for different parties. But they are family and there is a lot of love and respect that flows between them. The boys and one girl played soccer on the grassy lawn of my lower yard. The continuation of family traditions and the desire to keep them and enjoy each other caused me immeasurable pleasure. My heart swelled with love for all of them.

People make up their own stories to comfort themselves. I certainly have done it. I wonder what stories those frightened people who obeyed the rules told themselves to make it all right?
However, in their defense, those nightmarish restrictions in hospitals and nursing homes were enforced by the police. The POLICE were called if some distraught son or daughter tried to physically go to their parent to say goodbye. What sort of medical care was that? It breaks my heart to hear these stories. Not knowing the truth does not make you ignorant. NOT WANTING to know the truth is what makes you ignorant. Let’s all remain curious and discover what has been hidden from us.

The pandemic is officially over, but I hope we will never forget how stupid the measures used in this country turned out to be. It was all wrong. Masks were wrong and ineffective, social distancing was just silly, the lockdowns unimaginably harmful, and the so-called vaccine should have been pulled from the market ages ago. Do NOT take it. The effects of the shot are much worse than those of the disease for most people. Vaccine passports may turn out to be the most destructive thing to come out of it.

While I was typing I heard the dogs playing. They were on the oriental rug laying in the sunlight streaming through the glass storm door into my front hall. When I looked to see which ones were playing I was shocked and thrilled to see it was Sisi and the puppy, Hercule. They were wrestling and rolling around with tails wagging, playing in the most friendly fashion. They continued to play for ten more minutes. It amazed me because Sisi was so antagonistic towards the puppy before. Yet, now she appears to have welcomed him. This gives me hope for humanity. Dogs can change their minds, and so can people. Let’s all prove we can do it. Let’s be friends again. Let’s stop judging everyone who reacted differently from us. The important thing is to NOT repeat it. Never again!

Copyright©. 2023 Bonnie B. Matheson