PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write. I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that it what I long for in both politics and golf. The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions like. And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri performed a service for the reading public this week when she provided a list of potential actions by Donald Trump that would, in fact, be shocking.

Her point: All of the so-called “shocking revelations” about Trump, including those in the book by John Bolton, weren’t all that shocking, given Trump’s normal bizarre behavior.

So, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, Petri, who specializes in humor and irony for the Post, came up with a new, great list.

I don’t usually just re-print an entire column in this blog, but this time, with all credit to Petri, here is her list:

• An autocrat asked Donald Trump to do him a favor, and Donald Trump said no.
• Donald Trump spent 30 minutes quietly reading by himself.
• Donald Trump ordered and ate broccoli.
• Donald Trump put on appropriate safety gear to do a task that required said safety gear.
• Donald Trump admitted that something that had gone wrong was his fault, and he said he was sorry.
• “Please, don’t worry about the polls,” Donald Trump said. “I’m not as focused on my re-election as on doing a good job for the American people.”
• Donald Trump was asked to describe who Abraham Lincoln was and answered correctly.
• Donald Trump sat outside, enjoying a beautiful day.
• At the end of a busy day in the White House, Donald Trump paused to help his son with some homework.
• Donald Trump stopped to pet a dog.
• “No,” Donald Trump said, “Jared has too much on his plate already. I think that’s more than he should be taking on.”
• Donald Trump listened to something that Vladimir Putin was telling him with appropriate skepticism.
• Someone made a mistake or disagreed with Donald Trump, and he didn’t get mad.
• Donald Trump said that it would be “not cool at all” to invade Venezuela.
• Donald Trump listened to an intelligence briefing and waited until it was finished before he tried to say anything.
• Donald Trump spoke to the leader of one of America’s traditional allies on the phone and it was a normal, pleasant call.
• Donald Trump said he didn’t care whether he was being quoted in a book. After all, he was not saying anything he needed to be ashamed of.
• Donald Trump sent someone a heartfelt greeting card.
• Donald Trump telephoned someone in need of consolation, and he said something consoling.

So, here’s a challenge. Make up your own list of shocking Donald Trump events or comments.