I am feeling very guilty this week as I have been hiding out in beautiful McCall with my family. It has been unseasonably wet and cool. Nearly an inch of rain this week and low temperatures in the high 30’s. As we sit in the very lush forest surrounding our deck we start discussing the new growth on the conifers, it is a luminescent green. My son in law offered a nebulous thought about the true meaning of the new growth as it may apply to the current protests for racial justice. Others in our group chimed in, although the discussion got a bit deep for me, it was heartening and positive to hear younger people consider our challenging present. The new growth is symbolic of the necessary change coming to our country.
Earlier in the day, on our morning walk we saw a rangale of deer. I wanted to say herd, which is also appropriate, if you see a smaller group; a doe, buck, and offspring they are a family. As an aside, deers is an accepted plural but seldom used. Our dog Mmma thinks chasing the deer is great sport and did manage to get them running. The family congregated on a near by knoll with the buck starring at MMMa, the stand off ended as our dog began to run toward them and the buck did not flinch, it stood its ground in a stately, aggressive pose. A stunned dog ran back to us and went back to chasing her ball. Those of us who have been running from the many conflicts we face need to stand our ground and take action for change.
Buck passing, or passing the buck is the act of Attributing to another person or group one’s own responsibility. Speaking of nebulous thoughts, this walk in the woods and the new growth forest took me to President Harry Truman who made some very big decisions for our country. In his farewell speech in 1953, he reminded us of the motto that was always on his desk, “the buck stops here” in reference to all decisions. The phrase refers to the notion that the President has to accept the ultimate responsibility for those decisions. Truman also liked to say “if you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen”. I think we call those Truman traits, so lacking today in Washington, leadership.
President Truman gets the last words, “it is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” “…. progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.”
Hats off to those who mask up for the good of the order. Mike