Happy Birthday to you, Colleen. No, a meaningful birthday to you. I hope the day held smiles for you, and that the coming year will shine on you as you shine on others.

The "rise" of the United States has been swift, and we as a people and a governing body have been unable to keep up with it. It’s bound to fall/fail because we've been careless.

The building of an "empire" thousands of years ago is vastly different than one that began less than 300 years ago. The exponential increase of population is a huge factor, as well as the impossible-to-keep-up-with advances in technology, comparatively.

I drop a mint Hershey kiss in my hot cocoa, so why not? :)

☹️