The Dangerous Beauty of Normal Life Right Now
Nothing is normal right now, but it doesn’t always feel that way
Hello friends.
Image this week by high school student Jimena Argueta, courtesy of a project called “Picturing My Climate Future: High Schoolers View Their World to Come,” a photography and storytelling initiative where high school students document their lived experience of climate change. Now on view in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Thanks for sending to me!
Monday was cool and rainy. I sent out some pitches for articles. I made Alan Alda’s baked pasta, adding mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, and a thick layer of mozzarella. I ordered some stuff to round off the kids’ sleepaway camp packing list, and we made plans for the beach in August.
Tuesday morning for Spirit Week, my 8 year old dressed up as her music teacher, in a polo shirt and tie. We giggled as we applied stubble to her chin with an eyebrow pencil. Later, my husband and I discussed our tax bill and I did a runthrough for a Substack Live recording next week. My 8th grader was studying for finals.
Meanwhile the President of the United States summoned the National Guard and the Marines to Los Angeles, on the pretext of quashing protests against ICE raids, and without the consent of state and local leaders. He toyed with arresting the governor, too. “This Is Not A Drill: American Democracy Is On the Line Right Now,” said the pundits.
On Thursday, when the temperature nudged 90 degrees, I chaperoned Field Day in the park. E. won her class sack race, the local shop gave everyone ice cream cones, and federal agents frog-marched 52-year-old California Senator Alex Padilla out of a press conference where Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem was at the podium. In the hallway, three men force him to his knees and then to the floor, handcuffing him.
Nothing is normal at the moment, but it doesn’t always feel that way. One word for this is hypernormalization.
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