6/14/2024

June 14, 2024

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            Do you sigh frequently? I guess I do. My colleague brought it to my attention at graduation. I exhaled with some force & she said, “it’s almost over.” I was just trying to reinflate my alveoli, but she interpreted it as an expression of impatience. According to Psychology Today, sighing is “restorative embodiment … a self-soothing, invigorating, & recuperative experience.”

            Maybe I’m tuned into my lungs because my dad died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosus (IPF), scar tissue in the lungs. His disease taught me to appreciate every breath I take. I encourage you to do the same.

            Did you have fun with your G7 buddies? It’s too bad that your friendly instinct led you to walk over to the parachuters to chat about their jump. Some news outlets are using that 15 sec. of video to claim you were “wandering.” Luckily, to offset this narrative,  Jill will be singing the praises of the wisdom that comes with age in Greenbay & Jeff Ktazenberg is calling your longevity your “superpower.”

            How did your meeting with Pope Francis go? Did he tell you about his visit with 105 comics? His message was brilliant. He told them to keep up their efforts to “puncture pomposity” & “help us, with a smile, to see reality with its contradictions, & to dream of a better world!”

            Have you heard that the junta has banned VPNs in Burma? They are trying to control the flow of info. It’s a desperate measure. Please do what you can to provide tech & resources so people inside Myanmar can use the internet to keep track of the military situation.

            Do you think the EU parliament will elect Ursula von der Leyen as Pres. again? The CSM notes that the center held in the recent EU elections. What a relief! Fingers crossed that will happen here, too.

            BYBS,