Ryan Smither
Vicki Bechtel

About Our Conversation

I partnered with my longest-running friend, family member, neighbor, roommate, colleague, and probably a few other titles – my dear Mother, Vicki. 40 years together and still going strong. We sat down for coffee – we both like Black coffee, so no major divide there – and discussed both what the American Dream and the American Promise mean to us. Although we have historically identified with different political philosophies, we found a lot of common ground during our coffee together. Our thoughts about the American Dream were very similar. With my mom being in retirement naturally she is thinking a lot about her kids and fellow citizens building a solid foundation financially and educationally for a secure life. The American Promise was also a point of common ground. My legal background led me to talk about the Constitution and the rights spelled out within it. But we also talked about how some of us – like fellow citizens with disabilities – don’t have an equal playing field. I couldn’t be more happy to have partnered with my Mom for Coffee + Courage!