Hey American Friends…
How’s it going? I hope you’re paying attention… because there’s a lot going on…
Tomorrow, President Obama is giving his State of the Union Address. I’m sure you’ve heard about this and I hope you intend on watching.
A lot of talk about our economy. Where are the jobs? And then Health Care Clusterf*ck 2009/10 and National Debt Ridiculousness, etc… etc.
Over a year ago, I gathered with the Teton County Democrats and other Obama supporters to watch the election at a local coffee shop. The excitement of Obama winning was overwhelming. People crying tears of joy, friends hugging, hope… HOPE. True hope is something amazing… a form of love, I believe… and we all had it. It inspired us.
Tomorrow I join the Teton Democrats again to talk about a year with President Obama and watch his address. There’s a different feeling in the air, for sure, but is our hope gone? I hope not.
There are things that are not good in our world, our country, our county, ourselves… but I challenge us to [get ready for the cliché] be the change we want to see.
Get involved. Be hope.
I’ve thought a lot about this lately. What is important? What are the good things I want to be hope for?
1. People. Loved ones and my loved ones’ loved ones and others’ loved ones. People.
2. Our Earth. The beauty of it. The abundance of it.
3. The things that enhance our world and make community. Love.
I don’t know where that should go, what that should mean… but it’s time to get involved.
• Help people. Help Haiti. Holy Hell. It’s a tragedy. It’s a disaster. Families gone. Homes gone. The things that are too precious to think about ever leaving us… Gone. And we need to continue giving when the cameras turn off, the reporters are gone. Give. Help.
• Pay attention to the world you love. Help it. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Be proactive. Love what we’ve been given. A stranger commented this on my last post: http://veganvideo.org/ Awakening. Changing. [i mean… don’t get me wrong… i love cheese as much as (okay, more than) the next guy… so, this is a whole different topic of discussion…] But pay attention to what you eat. Maybe you don’t change anything… but pay attention.
• And then there’s this gorgeous world of love and dancing and smiling and crying from beauty. [my favorite.] Get passionate about it. Volunteer love. Anywhere. What you have a heart for, help it. Get together with others and glorify what is good. Whether that’s art, music, climbing, skiing, faith, yoga, food, laughter, building, learning, giving, political optimism… it matters not… it just matters that the heart, the beauty, the hope remains in this wonderful, wonderful place.
I know those things aren’t really political… I digressed… I am Distracto… but you should watch the State of the Union Address. Pay attention.
[sorry if this was lecturey… did not mean to be too lecturey. i just got real excited about things… about the good that could be… in the world, in the states, in myself. you know i’m not good at things… things like following through, staying focused, doing more than saying… so, i’m saying to myself as much as to all three of you who read my blahg. so so so much love. tons and tons.]