Columbus Day 2021.
I have never mentioned this particular holiday in the thirteen plus years of this blog. I’ve always been somewhat indifferent to the holiday. It never made much of a mark in my life and my only early memories of it are of a couple of Columbus Days spent at the horse track. Nothing says holiday like pari mutuel betting.
But the holiday itself meant little to me. Even to the mind of a kid, celebrating the idea that some European explorer “discovered” an entire continent already occupied by indigenous people seemed a little off.
Should it be a holiday? Probably not. I certainly understand the outrage of the Native Americans who oppose it. But at this current point in history, with so many other pressing issues currently shaping our day to day life and future that deserve our absolute focus, depleting our stores of outrage on this issue seems counterproductive. Unless we face up to these current matters, the issue of what this holiday should be or who it should honor will be a moot point.
So, as you can see, I have little interest in celebrating Columbus Day.
It’s just another Monday.
I am willin’ to celebrate that fact by playing a favorite track from the great live album, Waiting For Columbus, from Little Feat released in 1978 with the late Lowell George at the helm. The song is Willin’.
Maybe we should designate today Waiting For Columbus Day. Hmm…
Redtree Times 