Do Something.

Today, March 24, 2018, I wanted to go to the Columbus “March for Our Lives” with the family, but being the first day of our spring break, my politicking came in a distant second to being with the family. I also realized I was just too sad for a protest. Last week, I lost a favorite, former student to the ever-looming opioid crisis, we had our own “walk out” at our school, and the stressors of this political year forced me into a day off last Thursday as I realized the pall around me was chokingly close. Then Ed had an incident at his school that was getting even closer to home and with both of us being teachers, I am just not alright with any of this… Maybe all of that was more of a reason to go…in my younger years, it would have been. I chose, rather, some quiet introspection to build up my reserves and make my own plan of action.

To do so, I first thought about an old friend of mine who was an attorney for the Ohio AG. We sat on my porch a few years ago and he joked that I got to be preemptive in my work as a teacher—get to the kids when there is still hope; he, instead, got to them for the clean up when parents, families, schools, doctors, and other aspects of the “system” just didn’t work. His work wasn’t so hopeful. I sat on this thought today. School has to be a place of hope. Then my thoughts turned toward home and our larger community…

So I worked on contacting establishments for volunteer opportunities. I am writing this. I called my mom. I watched some of the event that took place in DC today. (I swear I held my breath for the 6 minutes and 20 seconds of Emma Gonzales’ silent speech.) I realized my own, small, attempt is to design ways to keep the world full of hope, to talk about positivity…to remind others to keep loving. I stumbled upon Alain de Botton’s concept of an “atheist cathedral” and now can see more clearly how that idea is not exactly an oxymoron. I researched locations for the Humanist Salon I’m launching. I said the words out loud: I want a community center. Ed listened and we dreamed about its concept…

I am (finally) posting about this website on Facebook this weekend—something I have been waiting to do since August. I hope I can find other like-minded people who just want to do good in the world. Who might want to come by for coffee and conversation. “Let us go and make our visit”…