Earlier this week, I had to be in the Washington D.C. area on business, both appointments were very close to D.C. so I decided to stay in the District and maybe walk around a bit, it’s been a long time since I was there last.
My hotel was just north of the White House, about a 15 minute walk down 15th Street and through Lafayette Park which is across Pennsylvania Ave. from the White House. Lot’s of changes since my last visit, the most obvious change is that Pennsylvania Ave. is now blocked off for security reasons. Also, the level of security, heavily armed security, makes for an impressive show of force.
Another change is that the current occupant of the White House is a total idiot. For whatever reason, we’ve elected a narcissistic know nothing to be the leader of our country, that’s a frightening change.
In a city filled with monuments to great leaders like Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln, I have to wonder how we’ve gotten so far off track.
I continued walking towards the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, it had not been constructed the last time I was there and I wanted to see it, I also wanted to find my cousin’s name, Billy Cook. Billy was actually my Second Cousin but he was much younger than my mothers other cousins and was closer to our age. Billy was older and cool, even after 50 years I remember him.
To find a name on the Wall, you have to look through a directory, a very sad directory with over 53,000 names in it. The Wall is not done by year specifically and it is not done alphabetically so the only way to find some one is in the directory. Billy was in W2-91. That’s panel W2, line 91. This method really makes you think about all the young men and women who lost their lives in that sad war. But then, they’re all sad!
After spending some time at this somber memorial, I walked across the street to the Lincoln Memorial. Lincoln, our 16th President was assassinated by a Confederate sympathizer five days after the end of the Civil War, the War Between the States. As I look at what’s going on in America today, I wonder if we’re headed in that direction again as it seems that no one wants to compromise on anything…my way or the highway.
I stood at the Lincoln Memorial on the spot where Dr. Martin Luther King gave his “I have a dream” speech in 1963. This speech still resonates with me, it was a powerful reminder of how far we’ve come and, how far we still have to go.
While I only had a couple hours, my walk did wonders for me both physically and mentally. I was able to take some time to think about our history and the people who’ve shaped it for the better and, worse. In this election year, I hope people will think about these things and decide which direction we want to go and then, vote with their brains and not knee jerk one party or the other.
I walked over 5 miles on Monday afternoon and it felt good, even though it was all on concrete which I hate. I will have to go back sometime soon, there’s so much to see and experience.
