Hard Moment

Fans, it's so cold here that many school districts have again cancelled tomorrow's classes. Such was the case this past Thursday, as well, and how it came to be that Julie and Joe were headed to the library that afternoon. On the way there, Joe asked Julie who made the roads, which led to a discussion about the government and its various officials--mayors, governors, the President. Joe confirmed that the President of the Inited States is Barak Obama and that he is a boy. He then asked Julie if the President could be a boy or a girl. Julie said that the President could indeed be a boy or a girl. Her voice broke ever so slightly as it trailed off, as she refrained from telling Joe that although the President can be a girl, the President has never actually been a girl. He would have asked why--he would have--and what would she have said? What would she have said?  What could she have said that wouldn't have led to who know how many more questions with unsatisfying answers?  Those answers would have had to acknowledge that we live in a world that sometimes uses the uncertain and often easily made promise of possibility to excuse the more meaningful and often harder to realize substance of reality.  Hard answers.  Hard moment.