"His future is ahead of him" - Casey Stengel

Julie Scharper is a splendid Baltimore journalist whom I have admired for her writing in the Baltimore SUN and for her contributions to our local public radio station, WYPR.  I am honored to follow her on Facebook and Twitter; she is a local gem for her reporting on our machine politics and local issues.  When you once had a mayor, Sheila Dixon, convicted of "misappropriating" gift cards donated for the use of the needy, you have a lot of fruit to pick on the local news tree, and even though I believe that particular scandal occurred before Ms Scharper worked the City Hall beat, there will be plenty more of that sort of story for her to cover.

Recently, though, she has been off on maternity leave; she and her husband have become parents of a beautiful little baby boy named Charlie.  Part of the magic of Facebook is sharing photographs.  What happier picture could there be than one of a mother and her baby?  So I commented on one of those pictures on her page, wistfully remarking about the wonders this little man will grow up to see.  

And she replied with thanks, and pointed out that "he could live to celebrate New Year's 2100!"

Stop a second to let that one sink in.  Just a few years ago, the world we live in was turned all sideways when Y2K became the big big deal.  Remember the dire predictions that the world was sure to grind to a wrenching halt, that elevators would stop between floors and municipal water systems wouldn't squeeze out a drop as chaos reigned in the streets on January 1, 2000?    And now, here's a darling little boy, just joining the earthly fray, and all he has to do is live through 87 summers in order to watch January 1, 2100 appear on his calendar!

Ritter

What marvels he will see!  Perhaps the eradication of dread diseases, the establishment of world-wise systems of communication and transportation, the elimination of poverty, despair and ignorance, and a suitable vehicle for the talents of Krysten Ritter!  All this and more are possible, and this little baby could see it all, experience it all, live to be a 22nd Century Man.  I wish the youngster a life of grace, knowledge, kindness and comfort.

He'll be there!

And I kinda hope he will become a journalist too.  That way, he could interview Keith Richards on Y2K1 Day and get to meet a man with more stories than Sheila Dixon.