For the life of me I cannot cut a mango. Rachel has tried to show me the difference between the soft side of the mango and the stone side. She says to start with the fuller soft side away from the pit. Another of my mango teachers peels it and then cuts the fruit into cute little cubes. Me, I stand over the sink and usually lose half the flesh to the drain but do manage to really enjoy sucking the pit. When they are ripe, they are among my favorite fruit.

Here’s an understatement – it goes to show me that I can’t do everything, and I don’t know everything, and I can’t experience everything. I certainly didn’t know the word “fomo” until today. I think it’s an anacronym and not a new word but what do I know? Fomo is the fear of missing out. It is probably out of fomo that I watched the Republican Debate the other night. I was shocked that I made it to the end and even hung in there for a few minutes of the post show.

I probably shouldn’t be writing this because it is bound to make someone reading it angry/upset/disappointed. But here’s a take. I give the Fox moderators credit for asking some of the hard questions. Even if they lost control too much of the time. I give Ron DeSantis credit for diverting the question about climate change. It is too bad because it never really got answered and given the extreme weather of this summer it certainly needs at least (to say the least) a serious discussion. I give Vivek credit for the being the largest personality of the stage – not the best, not the most qualified but he knew how to practically steal the game. And I am now totally confused. Is buying an electric vehicle good for the environment or bad – (the whole bit with batteries made in China increasing pollution from coal and fossil fuels.)? Mike Pence gets the title of Mr. Religious. His Christianity scares me even though he deserves praise for his courage to do the right thing on January 6^th. I really liked Nikki Haley standing up for herself and all women confronting bullshit when she heard it and reminding us that the abortion issue isn’t all that simple. And who am I forgetting: the governor of NJ who seemed to get the most boos from the audience and the one who wasn’t there in person but whose invisible presence ruled the stage and ….?

I began with how to peel a Mango and morphed to fomo. It all happened on a Wednesday night in August when my TV didn’t understand how I could be watching Fox News for over two hours. It’s all about things that are beyond my understanding and skill level. It’s all about how tough it is to peel away the core values of our country – free and inclusive; bravely facing tough challenges; preserving the freedoms we believe we have; protecting the vulnerable; pursuing a sweeter tomorrow for all. I do have fomo; I am afraid my grandchildren will miss out on the America I was born into and I was blessed to live in to this day. I know what to do. Stand up; work for the causes I believe in; support candidates who model my values; vote. But I’m still afraid.