12/31/18

My dear, dear Donald,

Another year passes. Someone in my Quaker Meeting yesterday called 2018, "tumultuous." I wonder if most years are tumultuous. Perhaps 2018 was particularly challenging because every time something bad happened you blamed someone. Could you please make a 2019 resolution to stop looking for scapegoats for every event? If there's a school shooting or a devastating wild fire or a government shutdown, start your tweet with, "I share the grief of all Americans about this incident and will work with my colleagues in Congress to make things better." That'll help us all to develop a more positive mindset and will also help us to get out of this "us against them" trap that we've gotten ourselves into. I will try to do the same - be a problem solver rather than a fault finder. Let that be our 2019 motto, shall we?

Perhaps Sen. Lyndsay Graham shared similar sentiments with you at your lunch yesterday. I hope you thank him for his diplomatic remarks afterwards. I was happy to hear him say that you "are slowing things down in a smart way" in regards to the Syria troop withdrawal. Did you enjoy spending time with Lyndsay? I understand that he's super smart and inclines to be a centrist. According to NYT magazine he said “Reason always prevails if you can market it right.” I think he's on to something and I hope you consult with him more often.

I hope you manage to find a way to celebrate the New Year.

Best,