“I have had enough” is my new mantra.
I don’t claim to know The Truth. I am uncertain by choice, and I choose that uncertainty because those creating the current darkness are infected by toxic certainty.
But I am very clear about My Truth.
This exploration has brought me along very well in that direction, thank you. I feel less anxious, less helpless, and I am moving away from cynicism toward candor and impact. I have changed “If you see something, say something” to “If I say something, DO something.”
Here is an excerpt from a letter sent by the Anne Arundel County Food Bank, dated November 11th:
Dear Henson Avenue Food Gang,
On behalf of the Anne Arundel County Food Bank, thank you for donating food to support our neighbors in need! The total amount contributed was 242 pounds. Your investment in our work to alleviate food insecurity in our community is deeply appreciated. Together we can ensure that all of our neighbors have consistent access to healthy, nourishing food and other basic necessities.
And here is what my neighbor and I did the previous week.
We chose to focus on our street only (hence the Henson Avenue Food Gang). 20 homes, occupied by people we know and with whom we listen frequently. We printed cards with a QR code for the Anne Arundel County Food Bank page which lists what foods to donate.
We come to each home mid-day every Sunday, dragging a little wagon, pick up the food from their porches or the curb, then pack it in the car and deliver it to the Food Bank. The picture is of our first pallet on the Food Bank’s loading dock. It’s a lovely sculpture of generosity and grace.
We made a copy of the thank you letter they sent, put it in an envelope with ‘Thanks’ handwritten on it, and took one to each house of the Food Gang, reminding them we’d be back every Sunday. I have already found three new bags of food on my porch.
Action is the theme here, local the scale:
· We all know each other and see each other pretty much daily, so no strangers knocking on doors—constant, easy connection to the project;
· Enough homes to have an impact and yet not so many that we crash and burn;
· A great 6th Creature resonance for a closer community through mutual action (more about 6th Creaturedown the line);
· Tangible, intimate, measurable, satisfying.
We are going to replicate this model and offer it to other streets around us as a donation and Doing model.
Thank you, Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Finding my truth has changed my commitment. Action is what I strive for. Truth has brought me here.
