The Slice: Major tension between kids?

If you grew up in a civilian family, please skip ahead to the next item.

But if you were a military brat decades ago, I want to ask you something.

Do you remember being aware of a class tension between the children of officers and the kids of service members who were not officers?

One aspect of your lifestyle at odds with prevailing Spokane stereotypes: “I do not wear sneakers every day with everything,” wrote Patti Witham.

So that’s one for and one against: When Dee Hunter met her husband-to-be more than 30 years ago, they pretty much saw eye-to-eye about politics. That has changed. “So now, every election, it is absolutely necessary that I vote to cancel out his vote,” she wrote.

Warm-up question: Has this ever happened to you?

About a year ago, I received a nice note from a gentleman who had recently moved to Spokane. He included a card with his phone number. So I gave him a call. I seem to remember that I reached him while he was at his gym. Anyway, we had a short, pleasant exchange. He had come here from a city where I once lived, so we had things to talk about. Before we hung up, I promised that I would contact him again. I meant it.

Then I managed to misplace his card.

I kept hoping I would come across it. But months went by and the card failed to surface. Meantime, I had forgotten his name. About the only thing I do recall is his race (there was a picture on his card). And I’m not even sure about that anymore.

Heaven knows what he concluded about not hearing back from me.

Today’s Slice question: People who go for a run or a walk every day sometimes follow the same route each time out. And a few of these folks have a ritual. Upon arriving at their turn-around point, they reach out and touch a certain rock, tree or sign as a silent way of signifying that they have reached the halfway point.

Not everyone does that, of course. But a few do, and this question is for them.

What do you reach out and pat before turning and heading for home?