reach for the stars...by judi sadowsky

whatever happened to marrying up? i don't want to sound too dated, but when i was growing up, we were taught that one of the best parts of getting married was to better our situation in life. when we were applying for college we were always encouraged to apply to at least one school that was just a little bit out of our range - you never know. answering help wanted ads always involved a little juggling between being realistic and reaching for the stars. and on and on. in buying a home or renting an apartment, i always believed that you should check out homes just a tiny bit above your means.

i don't know about you, but i always try to reach for the best, be it husbands, clothing, shoes or, let's be honest, leaders. i don't want someone to chow down a moose burger or go hunting with. we already tried going with a president who was elected, mainly on the premise that of the two candidates, he was the one the country most wanted to have a beer with. i don't want to fly in an airplane piloted by someone who knows as little about flight as i do and i certainly don't want to be governed by someone who doesn't know how to pronounce nuclear. we already tried that.

and now to the superficial. what about that hairdo. we haven't seen hair like that in the lower forty-eight since 1973. that up sweep is just begging for a tiara. i am not sure what sarah wears when she goes caribou hunting and frankly i don't care. i don't need to relate to our leaders - i want to look up to them. i don't want them to be as smart as me - i want them to be smarter. having five children is very nice but it is hardly an accomplishment in the same universe as, let's say, editor of the harvard law review. i don't want to sound like a snob, but when it comes to choosing someone who will be holding the fate of my children and grandchildren in their hands, call me crazy, but i really do hope for the best and the brightest.