how I will remember this year

When so much has changed in our nation, it isn't easy to pick out a single thing that I will remember 2008 for. We are in the midst of massive financial turmoil and the economy is sputtering to a halt. After a summer with gas prices over $4.00 gave way to a winter that had seen them drop below $1.40, we are all left to wonder what's going on around us.

We are undoubtedly at a crossroads in our understanding of the world we share; a tranformative moment in our approach to energy and resource management, the rights of individuals, our collective place in the world community, and our relationships with our past mistakes.

We have seen great achievement, and great loss. Events like the Olympics in Beijing called our attention in a very clear way to both our individual and collective capacity, and our underestimated ability to deny what shames us.

We've seen some divides widen (Sarah Palin did so much to break down old and outdated rural/ female stereotypes, didn't she?), and others begin to mend (do I really need to say?)

In light of all this volatility and transition, you might expect a few noteworthy items to slip by unnoticed. It's only natural. However, I would be remisced if I were to let one item pass by unnoticed. This summer, when the news was consumed with stories of foreclosure, recession, Obama-mania, and who was going to be on the next season of "Dancing with the Stars," something changed in America.

I'm talking, of course, about Nectarines.



Somewhere around June, this:





Became this:




Um, What?! So we're just going grapefruit size with everything, now? Is that the plan? Agricultural scientists haven't been able to crack the code of making the pit separate cleanly from the fruit, but making the thing 3 times bigger happened over night? I get that there were other things going on, but you would think at least one or two of questions at the presidential debates might have been focused on this. At the very least, a segment on Dateline was in order.

Again, for reference...



If I sound incensed, it's because I am! One of our more cherished food-stuffs was hijacked and no one seems to have noticed. We're not talking about the pluot, the kiwi fruit, or some lame-ass wanna-be like the cherry tomato. This is the nectarine. The silent shepherd of the sapling sea. The pre-pubescent peach. Smooth like a plum, but without all the attitude, this titan of tangy is no flirt. It won't tease you along like that tramp, the clementine orange, only to leave you a few days into the new year. The nectarine is a robust, full-bodied fruit that doesn't take a backseat to anyone. I say we need to leave it alone.

So, you tell me... are we going to go through another year of focusing on trivial issues like the disastrous effects of mortgage-backed securities, the important steps we are taking to correct eight years of ruinous foreign policy, or how to transition a 20th century workforce into the emerging economy of the 21st century. Are we going to ignore the issue until all the members of the drupe family are abnormally large? Is this what we want?



Maybe it is... that actually seems kind of sweet. Nevermind.

As for next year, Let's have hope that it brings us more humility, resolve, and restraint.