Impressions of America

Ted. I have really missed our family and friends but the US - not so much.  On arriving back in the States after 19 weeks, several things struck me. So here’s the good and the bad in no particular order:

Consumerism

My goodness, we Americans buy a lot of stuff. The storage unit industry continues to boom as people scramble to find places to stash all the possessions that don’t fit in their homes. I see advertising billboards everywhere as I drive around and have to endure blaring ads every time I turn on a TV.

Infrastructure

Most everything works pretty darned well (I can’t comment on the NYC subways since I don’t go there anymore).

Bigness

I had forgotten how big everything is in this country. The highways are massive with lots of extra lanes. Coffees, pizzas, grocery items, houses, cars and most everything else that I see are shockingly large. I swear that my youngest grandson, Oliver seems twice as big as when we left!

Open spaces

There is so much land in this country that it is easy to find vast areas with no people, in spite of the fact that our population continues to grow.

Passionate politics

Since 1800, our citizens have screamed their politics to friends and foes alike. I had forgotten how much fun it can be to watch someone turn beet red, shouting and cursing about “the most important election in the country’s history!”

Diversity

For the most part, and in spite of what I read about my country, I see people of all faiths, all colors, all cultures that are working, playing, yelling and laughing together.