Yes, I’m still among the top 10 fans of The West Wing! You’ll never guess where those mythical American leaders showed up this time…
Friday, I was watching the opening livestream for a new Intentional Creativity ® class called World Soul. Led by Adriana Medina and Shiloh Sophia McCloud, it has to do with cultures and perspectives and how each of us views our place in the world.
The opening Red Thread Cafe conversation was both fascinating and moving in the sense of recognizing that there is always more awareness to be embraced. As I sat, running my red thread through my hands and reflecting on things that helped my world grow, I realized I was humming.
It took me a minute to realize that I was humming the theme music to The West Wing. Then, suddenly, I figured out why.
It had to do with episode 16 in Season 2, – Somebody’s Going to Emergency, Somebody’s Going to Jail. “This broadcast has often been referred to as the best episode of West Wing to ever air” (Editorial review, Amazon.com).
Imagine, if you will, the voice of a gruff but enlightened White House Chief of Staff named Leo McGarry explaining, in the midst of a morning staff meeting, something very close to…
President Andrew Jackson had, in the main foyer of his white house, a 2-ton block of cheese. It was there for any and all who were hungry.
In this spirit, from time to time, we ask senior staff to open their office doors to those who have difficulty getting the ear of the White House…
Yes, this was a while ago… but are you there already??? (Netflix or YouTube will be glad to help you out!)
Press Secretary, C.J. Cregg, was assigned to meet with a fictional group of Cartographers for Social Equality who re-educated members of the President’s staff on their perceptions of the globe by lobbying for support for the Peters Map to be used in every public school classroom in the USA.
This map looks quite different than the one I remember from geography class. I’m guessing it looks different from the one you remember, too!
The main difference lies in the accurate proportional sizes of continents and countries. It can also be turned south side up which caused C.J. to stammer, What the hell is that?
The cartographers replied, It’s where you’ve been living this whole time.
There’s more to the episode, and it’s one of my favorites.
For our purposes, though, I suspect I was humming the WW theme because, somewhere in my consciousness, I was aware that the painting journey on which I was about to embark was going to take me farther still from the place I was raised to think I’d been living this whole time.
Just between us, with the new gallery, holiday art markets, and the kids coming, I haven’t started the actual painting yet but I’m already noticing and wondering new things, thanks to Adriana and Shiloh and Aaron Sorkin, et al.
I’ll keep you posted!
And I did get an extra copy of the map to send home with my girls!
p.s. It seems that President Obama was a fan of WW, too. Big Block of Cheese Day is reported to have actually happened during his presidency!